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_ ; 

THE  ROBERT  E.  COWAN  COLLECTION 

PRESENTED  TO  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

BY 

C.  P.  HUNTINGTON 

JUNE.  1897. 

Accession  No  6^39/?       Class  N0.7O  A^€_ 

£ 'H51 


/tcry 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/catacombsofromeaOOkipwrich 


THE  LATEST  AND  BEST  WORK  ON  RUSSIA. 


THE  RUSSIAN  SHORES  OF  THE  BLACK  SEA, 
"With  a  "Voyage  down  the  Volga,  and  a  Journey 

THROUGH    THE     COUNTRY     OF     THE     DON     CoSSACKS,     by 

LAURENCE  OLIPHANT,  author  of  "A  Journey 
to  Nepaul,"  with  two  maps  and  eighteen  illustrations. 
12  mo,  cloth,  75  cts. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PKESS. 

"  The  latest  and  best  account  of  the  actual  state  of 
Russia." — London  Standard, 

"  The  book  of  a  quick  and  honest  observer.  Full  of 
delightful  entertainment." — London  Examiner. 

"A  witness  worth  listening  to  on  matters  whereon 
good  evidence  is  particularly  difficult  to  obtain." — Lon- 
don Guardian. 

"  No  work  of  similar  character  with  the  same  light- 
ness of  execution  has  conveyed  an  equally  clear  idea 
of  the  vast  empire  composed  of  so  many  disproportion- 
ate parts." — London  Critic. 

"Mr.  Oliphant  has  not  only  travelled  where  few 
European  travellers  have  been  before  him,  but  he  has 
wandered  amid  scenes  of  which  everybody  is  anxious 
to  hear.  His  clear  and  rapid  descriptions  set  objects 
before  our  eyes  with  unpretending  vividness ;  and  the 
notes  he  jots  down  are  always  worth  attending  to." — 
London  Leader. 

IN   PRESS. 

FIFTY  YEARS  IN  BOTH  HEMISPHERES,  by 
^-^cent  Nolte.     1  vol.  12  mo,  cloth. 


THE  LATEST  AND  BEST  WORK  ON  TURKEY. 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  TURKS 

OR, 

Sketches  of  Travel 

IN  THE  EUROPEAN  AND  ASIATIC  DOMINIONS  OF  THE  SULTAN. 

BY 

WARINGTON  W.  SMYTH,  M.  A. 


With  a  Colored  Ethnological  Map  of  the  Turkish  Empire. 

One  Vol.  12mo.    Cloth,  75  cents. 


"  Mb.  Smyth  has  had  rare  opportunities.  Few  men  have  crossed  and  recrossed 
the  empire  in  so  many  directions  ;  and  many  are  the  errors,  the  false  reports, 
the  misconceptions  as  to  fact  or  motive  which  are  here  corrected  by  an  able  and 
impartial  witness." — London  Athenceum,  February  25th,  1854. 

"  Mb.  Smyth's  mode  of  travelling  was  well  adapted  to  observe  the  character 
and  condition  of  the  people,  as  well  as  to  form  a  judgment  upon  the  mode  of 
government,  and  its  effects.  Indeed,  his  object  in  publishing  this  volume  was 
less  to  give  an  account  of  his  journeyings,  than  to  throw  what  light  he  could 
upon  the  Turkish  empire  and  people.  He  has  a  pleasant,  picturesque  and  direct 
style,  and  also,  that  knowledge  of  the  past  which  is  necessary  to  make  travel 
profitable  ;  but  he  does  not  overlay  his  subjects  with  history." — London  Spec- 
tator, February  25th,  1854, 


In  Press, 

FIFTY  YEARS  IN  BOTH  HEMISPHERES. 

BY  VINCENT   NOLTE 


TX>    of    t 


THE 


CATACOMBS  OF  EOME 


AS    ILLUSTRATING 


Cjje  tfjwrtj; 


THE  FIRST  THREE  CENTURIES 


Right  Rev.  WM.  INGRAHAM  KIP,  D.  D. 

MISSIONARY    BISHOP    OF    CALIFORNIA, 
AUTHOR   OF   "THE   LENTEN   FAST"— "  THE    DOUBLE  WITNESS  OF  THE  CHURCH" 
"THE   EARLY   CONFLICTS   OF   CHRISTIANITY" — "THE   CHRISTMAS   HOLYDAYS 
IN   ROME" — "THE   EARLY  JESUIT   MISSIONS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA,"   ETC. 


Plena  di  raorti,  tutta  la  campagna. — Petrarcha. 


R  E  D  FI  E  L  D 

110   AND    112   NASSAU    STREET,    NEW    YORK. 
1854. 


68&?0 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1853, 
By  J.  S.  REDFIELD, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  and  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


STEREOTYPED    BY   C.   C.   SAVAGE, 

13  Chambers  Street,  N.  Y. 


THE   REVEREND 
CHARLES   COTESWORTH   PINCKNEY,  Jr., 

OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Among  the  most  cherished  recollections  of  the 
past,  is  one  of  a  morning  in  the  early  spring,  when 
two  youth  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac, 
about  to  separate,  as  they  feared,  perhaps  for  ever. 
They  talked  of  the  pleasant  past  when  their  tastes 
and  pursuits  had  been  the  same,  and  of  the  shadowy 
future  which  to  them  was  radiant  with  all  that  the 
imagination  could  picture. 

And  so  they  parted.  Years  have  since  gone  by. 
Of  the  companions  of  those  happy  months,  some 
are  now  scattered  over  the  land,  wearily  waging 
the  warfare  of  life,  and  some  are  sleeping  in  their 


O  DEDICATION. 

quiet  graves.  Seldom  have  the  two  friends,  who 
parted  in  the  morning  of  life,  met  face  to  face ;  yet 
time  has  not  severed  those  early  bonds,  and  often 
have  greetings  passed  between  their  distant  homes, 
to  brighten  the  chain  of  brotherhood  which  bound 
them  together.  And  now,  when  the  whole  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land  is  about  to  be  placed  be- 
tween them,  and  they  may  never  meet  again  in 
this  world,  the  one  would  dedicate  this  little  vol- 
ume to  the  companion  of  his  early  days,  as  a  trib- 
ute to  that  friendship  which  has  been  steadfast 
through  youth  and  manhood,  and  which,  he  trusts, 
may  one  day  be  renewed  in  that  land  where  there 
shall  be  no  more  partings. 

Albany,  Advent,  1853. 


VtT  ;::7  7 


PREFACE. 

The  writer  believes  that  the  argument  derived 
from  the  Catacombs  of  Rome,  in  defence  of  primi- 
tive truth,  is  but  little  known  in  this  country,  and 
that  he  might  therefore  be  doing  some  service  by- 
placing  it  in  an  accessible  form.  To  most  readers 
it  will  be  a  new  chapter  in  the  past  history  of  the 
Church.  Hitherto,  the  descriptions  have  been  locked 
up  in  ponderous  folios,  or  foreign  languages,  with 
the  exception  of  two  or  three. small  volumes  pub- 
lished in  England.  He  believes  that  no  work  on 
this  subject  has  ever  been  printed  in  this  country. 

The  first  writer  whose  attention  was  turned  to 
these  remains  of  the  past,  was  Father  Bosio.  He 
spent  more  than  thirty  years  (1567  to  1600)  in  ex- 
ploring the  Catacombs,  penetrating  into  some  of 
the  innermost  crypts  which  had  been  closed  for 
centuries,  and  in  making  drawings  of  ancient  mon- 
uments, inscriptions,  and  paintings.  It  became 
the  absorbing  passion  of  his  life,  until,  we  are  told, 


8  PREFACE. 

"  he  lived  so  much  in  the  dark  catacombs,  that  the 
bright  light  of  the  sun  was  painful  to  his  eyes." 
Yet  he  did  not  survive  to  see  the  result  of  his  la- 
bors made  known  to  the  world,  but  died  while 
writing  the  last  chapter  of  his  work.  His  accu- 
mulated manuscripts  and  drawings,  with  the  partly- 
finished  engravings,  passed  into  the  hands  of  Father 
Severano,  who  added  a  chapter  of  his  own,  and  pub- 
lished the  work  at  Home,  in  the  year  1632,  under 
the  title  of  "  Eoma  Sotterranea."  This  work  was 
translated  into  Latin  by  Father  Arringhi,  and  pub- 
lished in  two  very  large  folio  volumes,  at  Rome,  in 
1651  and  1659.  These  publications  first  awakened 
the  interest  of  the  learned  in  Europe  to  the  subject 
of  the  Catacombs. 

In  1702,  Fabretti  published  a  collection  of  epi- 
taphs, under  the  title,  "  Inscriptionum  antiquarum, 
&c.  explicatio."  But  the  most  important  work 
was  by  Father  Boldetti,  canon  of  Santa-Maria  in 
Trastevere,  and  custode  of  the  Catacombs.  It  ap- 
peared in  1720,  in  a  large  folio  volume,  entitled, 
"  Osservazioni  sopra  i  Cimiterii  dei  Santi  Martiri, 
&c.  di  Roma."  He  too  passed  more  than  thirty 
years  in  the  examination  of  the  tombs  and  crypts. 
Bottari  then  published,  in  1737  and  1754,  three 
large  folio  volumes  on  Christian  art,  under  the  title, 
"  Sculture  e  pitture  sagre,  estratte  dai  Cimiteri  di 
Roma."  His  companion,  Father  Marangoni,  a  la- 
borious Jesuit,  also  brought  out  two  works  con- 


PREFACE.  9 

nected  with  the  subject,  between  the  years  1740 
and  1744. 

The  next  distinguished  writer  in  this  catalogue 
was  M.  D'Agincourt,  an  ardent  student  of  Christian 
archaeology,  who  toward  the  close  of  the  last  cen- 
tury settled  himself  in  Rome,  to  investigate  these 
relics  of  primitive  days.  He  intended  to  stay  six 
months,  but,  like  Bosio,  it  became  the  study  of  his 
life ;  and  he  remained  for  fifty  years  solely  occu- 
pied in  collecting  and  arranging  the  materials  of 
his  work,  which  did  not  appear  till  after  his  -death. 
It  is  entitled,  "  Histoire  de  l'Art  par  les  Monu- 
mens."  Among  the  more  modern  writers  on  this 
subject,  on  the  continent,  are  Miinter,  a  Danish 
bishop,  M.  Raoul  Pochette,  the  Abbe  Gaume,  and 
the  Abbe  Gerbet.  M.  Perret,  a  French  artist,  has 
recently  devoted  six  years  to  the  study  of  the  Cata- 
combs and  their  contents,  and  returned  to  Paris 
with  the  materials  for  a  great  work  which  will 
soon  be  published.  It  will  probably,  however, 
relate  more  to  art  than  to  Christian  doctrine  or 
antiquities. 

In  England,  the  only  work  of  any  research  is, 
"  The  Church  in  the  Catacombs,"  by  Charles  Mait- 
land,  M.  D.,  published  in  1846.  There  is  also  a 
small  volume  by  Charles  Macfarlane,  Esq.,  intend- 
ed, however,  only  to  give  a  popular  view  of  the 
outward  appearance  of  the  Catacombs,  and  pur- 
posely  entering  into    no   theological   discussions. 

1* 


10  PREFACE. 

"  I  have,"  says  the  author,  "  carefully  avoided  con- 
troversial points." 

In  compiling  the  present  volume,  the  writer  must 
of  course  disclaim  all  attempts  at  originality.  The 
subject  does  not  admit  of  it.  Having  been  exceed- 
ingly interested  in  the  study  of  these  Christian  anti- 
quities, when  in  Borne  in  1845,  he  has  endeavored 
to  impart  to  his  descriptions  the  freshness  of  his  own 
recollections.  Still,  for  the  materials,  he  must  de- 
pend principally  upon  the  voluminous  works  of 
those  who  had  gone  before  him.  "While  "  other 
men  have  labored,"  he  has  "  entered  into  their 
labors."  His  great  authority  has  been  Arringhi's 
"Roma  Subterranea,"  of  which  he  believes  there  is 
but  a  single  copy  in  this  country.  This  he  has 
studied  carefully,  endeavoring  to  avail  himself  of 
the  labors  of  this  distinguished  antiquarian  on  the 
points  he  has  brought  forward,  and  the  illustrations 
he  has  employed. 

To  Maitland,  also,  he  must  acknowledge  his  in- 
debtedness. He  has  pursued  somewhat  the  same 
plan,  and  availed  himself  in  some  instances  of  his 
pages,  to  procure  fac-similes  of  inscriptions  which 
were  not  to  be  found  in  older  works.  Often,  how- 
ever, in  his  study  of  Arringhi,  he  has  subsequently 
discovered  he  had  been  anticipated  by  Maitland, 
and  that  they  had  both  copied  the  same  inscriptions 
to  illustrate  the  points  brought  forward.  Believing, 
however,  that  this  volume  may  be  used  by  Ameri- 


PREFACE.  11 

can  readers,  who  would  not  meet  with  the  expen- 
sive English  work,  he  has  not  thought  it  necessary, 
on  that  account,  to  alter  his  manner  of  treating 
any  particular  subject. 

This  work  might  have  been  much  extended,  but 
if  materially  enlarged,  it  would  have  defeated  the 
object  of  the  writer.  His  aim  has  been,  not  to  at- 
tempt the  production  of  a  volume  displaying  anti- 
quarian or  classical  learning,  but  a  simple  and 
popular  view  of  these  great  historical  facts  which 
in  this  country  are  so  little  known.  He  has  en- 
deavored to  present  a  picture  of  the  early  Church 
in  Rome,  in  the  manliness  and  purity  of  its  faith, 
that  those  who  are  dreaming  of  Home  as  she  is  in 
this  age,  may  see  that  approximation  to  her,  as  she 
now  sits  upon  her  Seven  Hills,  is  no  approach  to 
the  simplicity  and  truth  of  primitive  times.  The 
dogmas  of  Trent  have  placed  a  "  great  gulf"  be- 
tween the  apostolic  Church  of  Rome,  and  the  mod- 
ern Church  of  the  popes.     ^0  ^|&^^4H>>"MMr    ^ 

To  his  brethren,  then,  he  commits  this  volume, 
as  an  attempt  to  aid  in  that  great  contest  which 
every  year  is  becoming  of  deeper  interest — the 
contest  between  primitive  truth  and  modern  inno- 
vations. Bunyan,  in  his  day,  spoke  the  popular 
voice,  when  he  described  Giant  Pope,  as  "yet 
alive,  but  by  reason  of  age,  and  also  of  the  many 
shrewd  brushes  that  he  met  with  in  his  younger 
days,  grown  so  crazy  and  stiff  in  his  joints,  that  he 


)C    $&UrhJ^  A 


£  .. 


12  PREFACE. 

now  can  do  little  more  than  sit  in  his  cave's  mouth, 
grinning  at  pilgrims  as  they  go  by,  and  biting  his 
nails  because  he  can  not  come  at  them."  Yet  in 
this  age,  that  power  seems  to  be  putting  forth  new 
and  unwonted  efforts,  and  we  may  yet  have  once 
more  to  wage  that  warfare,  which  three  centuries 
ago  was  so  successfully  carried  on  by  the  English 
reformers.  And  in  doing  this,  we  must  go  back  to 
the  early  days  of  the  Church,  and  learn,  as  far  as 
we  can,  how  the  first  followers  of  our  Lord  thought 
and  trusted  and  acted.  And,  we  believe,  that  in 
accumulating  this  testimony,  it  will  be  found,  that 
not  the  least  important  is  that  which  comes  from 
the  tombs  of  the  early  Eoman  Christians. 


CONTENTS, 
i. 

Visit  to  the  Catacombs ►. . .  .page    17 

IL 
Origin  and  History  of  tub  Catacombs 29 

IIL 
Description  of  the  Catacombs 49 

rv. 

The  Inscriptions  in  the  Catacombs 69 

V. 
The  Martyrs  of  the  Catacombs 87 

VL 

The  Symbols  in  the  Catacombs 108 

VII. 

Ministry  and  Rites  of  the  Early  Church 151 

VIII. 
The  Changes  of  Modern  Rome 171 

IX. 
Conclusion 201 


VISIT  TO  THE  CATACOMBS. 


«xflM^ 


VISIT  TO  THE  CATACOMBS. 

About  two  miles  from  the  gates  of  Eome,  on  that 
same  Appian  Way,  over  whose  pavements  once  the 
legions  of  victorious  Rome  marched  on  their  way  to 
the  Capitol,  and  whose  stones  were  bedewed  with 
the  tears  of  captive  princes  as  they  were  dragged 
along  to  swell  the  glory  of  the  triumph,  stands  the 
church  of  St.  Sebastian.  The  tide  of  population 
has  flowed  away  from  it — the  dwellers  about  have 
fled  from  the  deadly  miasma  which  broods  over 
these  wastes — the  ruins  of  their  habitations  have 
sunk  beneath  the  soil,  as  the  rank  vegetation  rose 
around  them  —  and  the  church,  with  its  adjoining 
monastery,  stands  nothing  but  a  monument  of  the 
saint  who  is  said  to  have  suffered  martyrdom  on 
that  spot. 

It  was  on  one  of  those  genial  mornings  when  an 
Italian  winter  is  rapidly  changing  to  its  early  spring, 
that  we  stood  opposite  to  this  time-worn  relic  of  the 
past.  A  scene  which  presented  the  image  of  more 
perfect  repose  could  not  be  imagined.    Around  us, 


18  THE   CATACOMBS    OF  EOME. 

far  and  wide,  stretched  the  desolate  Campagna,  till 
in  the  dim  horizon  rose  the  purple  hills  of  Albano, 
consecrated  on  the  classic  page  as  having  on  their 
slopes  the  villa  of  Horace,  and  the  now  vanished 
palace  of  Maecenas,  where  once  the  princely  patron 
gathered  around  him  the  wit  and  genius  of  Kome 
in  her  most  intellectual  days.  Before  us  were  the 
broken  arches  of  the  Claudian  aqueduct,  the  ruined 
shrine  of  Egeria,  from  which  the  Nymph  and  Dry- 
ad have  long  since  fled,  and  the  massive  tomb  of 
Ccecilia  Metella, 

" with  two  thousand  years  of  ivy  grown, 

The  garland  of  Eternity,  where  wave 
The  green  leaves  over  all  by  time  o'erthrown." 

The  Eternal  city  was  sleeping  in  the  distance,  the 
still  air  brought  no  murmur  of  its  population,  and 
the  whole  wide  landscape  gave  no  sign  of  life.  A 
beggar  was  slumbering  in  the  porch  of  the  appa- 
rently deserted  church,  and  not  a  sound  broke  the 
stillness,  but  the  droning  of  some  insects  which 
were  wheeling  around  in  ceaseless  circles  in  the 
sunlight.  It  was  a  scene  to  be  found  nowhere  but 
among  the  solemn  ruins  which  encircle  this  "Niobe 
of  nations." 

Beneath  this  church  is  the  only  entrance  to  the 
Catacombs  by  which  admittance  is  usually  gained. 
There  is  another  indeed  at  the  church  of  St.  Agnes, 
but,  for  some  reason,  strangers  are  seldom  permit- 
ted to  enter  it.  The  writer  made  many  attempts 
while  in  Kome  ;  but  though  several  times  promised 
admission  by  ecclesiastics,  he  never  succeeded  in 
effecting  it.     And  such,  he  has  found,  was  the  tes- 


VISIT   TO    THE   CATACOMBS.  19 

timony  of  all  his  friends.  The  only  individual  he 
has  met  with,  who  was  able  to  inspect  the  Catacombs 
of  St.  Agnes,  was  the  late  Thomas  Cole,  the  artist, 
from  whom  he  once  received  so  interesting  an  ac- 
count, as  to  deepen  his  regret  at  his  own  failure. 
Mr.  Cole  represented  these  passages  as  being  much 
richer  in  inscriptions  and  paintings  than  those  of 
St.  Sebastian,  fewer  having  been  removed  from 
their  original  positions  to  be  placed  in  the  gallery 
of  the  Vatican.* 

There  are  also  numberless  openings  scattered  over 
the  Campagna  for  miles,  which,  overgrown  with 
vines,  often  prove  dangerous  to  the  incautious 
rider.  It  was  of  these  that  D'Agincourt  availed 
himself,  on  several  occasions,  to  enter  the  Cata- 
combs;  though  without  guides  or  landmarks,  the 
experiment  was  a  dangerous  one.  Some  of  them 
were  in  existence  during  the  persecutions  in  early 
Christian  times,  and  were  used  as  air-holes.  They 
are  spoken  of  in  the  "  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,"  as  lu- 
rninaria  cryptce.  Others  were  probably  produced 
in  later  ages  by  the  falling  in  of  the  ground  where 
the  roof  of  a  passage  had  too  nearly  approached  the 

*  Professor  Weir  of  West  Point,  to  whom  Mr.  Cole  also  gave  an 
account  of  his  visit,  has  lately  confirmed  the  writer's  impressions 
with  regard  to  the  conversation.  Among  other  things,  Mr.  Cole 
stated,  that  he  was  so  impressed  with  the  resemblance  of  some  of 
the  clerical  garments,  portrayed  in  fresco,  to  those  now  used  in  our 
Church,  that  he  commenced  copying  them,  but  was  prevented  from 
finishing  by  those  in  charge  of  the  cemetery.  He  then  attempted 
at  home  to  sketch  them  from  memory.  Unfortunately  these  draw- 
ings have  not  been  found  among  his  papers,  and  we  have  given  in  a 
succeeding  chapter,  the  only  passage  in  his  letters  relating  to  this 
subject. 


20  THE   CATACOMBS   OF  ROME. 

surface.  Traditions  tell  us  of  attempts  made  to 
overwhelm  these  galleries  with  mounds  of  earth,  in 
order  to  destroy  those  who  had  taken  refuge  in  their 
intricacies.  But  for  various  reasons  the  caves  near 
the  Basilica  of  St.  Sebastian  are  considered  by  an- 
tiquarians as  having  been  those  first  occupied  by 
the  Christians,  and  a  portion  of  these,  therefore,  is 
kept  open  to  gratify  the  interest  of  the  curious. 

We  entered  the  church,  whose  interior  seemed  as 
silent  and  deserted  as  the  exterior.  Wandering 
about  from  chapel  to  chapel,  no  one  was  to  be  seen 
but  the  mendicant  who,  awakened  from  his  sleep  in 
the  sunshine,  followed  us  in,  whining  forth  his  pe- 
tition for  alms  in  the  name  of  every  saint  in  the  cal- 
endar. At  last,  an  old  monk  appeared  from  the 
adjoining  monastery,  and  having  made  known  our 
wish  to  visit  the  Catacombs,  he  furnished  each  of 
the  party  with  a  light,  and  led  the  way  down  the 
stone  steps  into  the  passages  below.  How  many 
thousands,  for  centuries  past,  have  trodden  these 
well-worn  steps :  the  careless  and  the  irreverent,  as 
well  as  those  who  went  to  this  cradle  of  our  faith  as 
to  a  holy  shrine !  Age  after  age  the  sandalled 
monk  has  glided  over  them,  and  through  mediaeval 
times  they  have  rung  with  the  tread  of  the  mailed 
knight.  At  the  bottom  of  the  stairs,  we  entered  a 
winding  passage  which  was  the  commencement  of 
the  Catacombs.  Here  they  branch  off  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  the  contrast  to  the  dark  caves  is  far 
greater  from  leaving  the  balmy  Italian  atmosphere 
above.  The  air  is  not  "  the  dew  of  the  dungeon's 
damp,"  but  something  far  more  oppressive.  It  is 
hot,  dry,  and  stifling,  smelling  of  earth  and  dust. 


VISIT   TO   THE   CATACOMBS.       ^5^;        21 

The  intricate  passages  cross  and  recross,  often  not 
more  than  three  feet  wide,  and  so  low  that  we 
were  obliged  to  stoop.  The  difficult}'  of  following 
them  is  greater  from  the  fact,  that  they  are  gener- 
ally constructed  in  three  stories,  so  that  you  con- 
stantly meet  with  steps  which  ascend  or  descend. 
At  times,  however,  they  expand  into  apartments 
arched  overhead,  and  large  enough  to  contain  a 
small  company.  On  each  side  are  cavities  in 
which  were  placed  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  and 
small  apertures  where  lamps  were  found.  But  few 
sarcophagi  were  discovered  here,  and  these  proba- 
bly date  from  the  fourth  century,  when  persecution 
had  ceased,  and  more  of  the  higher  classes  had  be- 
gun to  hand  in  their  adherence  to  the  faith.  Before 
this,  no  pomp  or  ceremony  attended  the  burial  of 
the  Christians,  when  their  friends  hastily  laid  them 
in  these  dark  vaults.  They  sought  not  the  sculp- 
tured marble  to  enclose  their  remains,  but  were 
contented  with  the  rude  emblems  which  were 
carved  above,  merely  to  show  that  for  the  body 
resting  there  they  expected  a  share  in  the  glory  of 
the  Resurrection.  Yery  many  of  the  graves  are 
those  of  children,  and  sometimes  a  whole  family  are 
interred  together.  The  cavities  were  cut  into  the 
soft  stone,  just  large  enough  for  the  body,  with  a 
semi-circular  excavation  for  the  head,  and  the  open- 
ing was  closed  with  a  thin  slab  of  marble. 

When  for  the  first  time  Sir  Walter  Scott  was  con- 
ducted to  the  lone  and  silent  city  of  Pompeii,  the 
only  exclamation  he  uttered  was,  "  The  city  of  the 
dead !  the  city  of  the  dead  I"  We  felt  how  much 
more  appropriately  the  epithet  could  be  bestowed 


22  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

upon  subterranean  Rome.  It  was,  indeed,  a  most 
interesting  scene,  as  we  followed  the  old  monk  with 
his  trailing  garments  and  noiseless  tread,  through 
these  dark  and  silent  passages.  On  each  side  of 
us  were  the  yawning  graves.  For  a  moment  they 
seemed  to  open,  as  the  taper  we  carried  brought 
them  into  the  little  circle  of  light,  and  then,  as  we 
passed,  they  closed  again  in  the  darkness.  We 
were  wandering  among  the  dead  in  Christ,  who 
more  than  sixteen  centuries  ago  were  borne  to  their 
rest.  Around  us  were  the  remains  of  some,  who, 
perhaps,  had  listened  to  the  voices  of  apostles, 
and  who  lived  while  men  were  still  upon  the  earth, 
who  had  seen  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  as  He  went  on 
His  pilgrimage  through  the  length  and  breadth  of 
Judea.  It  was  a  scene,  however,  to  be  felt  more 
than  to  be  described  —  a  place  in  which  to  gather 
materials  for  thought  for  all  onr  coming  days,  car- 
rying us  back,  as  it  did,  to  the  earliest  ages  of  our 
faith  —  ages  when  the  only  strife  was,  as  to  who 
should  be  foremost  in  that  contest  through  which 
their  Lord  was  to  "inherit  the  earth."  The  holy 
spirit  of  the  place  —  the  genius  loci — seemed  to 
impress  itself  upon  all.  They  were  hushed  into  a 
reverential  silence,  or  if  they  spoke,  it  was  in  low 
and  subdued  tones. 

Yet  we  were  glad  to  ascend  the  worn  steps  and 
find  ourselves  once  more  in  the  church  above. 
"We  noticed,  indeed,  that  the  corners  we  turned  in 
these  intricate  passages  were  marked  with  white 
paint  to  guide  us,  yet  a  sudden  current  of  air  extin- 
guishing our  lights  would  make  these  signs  useless, 
and  from  the  crumbling  nature  of  the  rock  there  is 


VISIT   TO   THE    CATACOMBS.  23 

always  danger  of  the  caving  in  of  a  gallery,  or  some 
other  accident,  which  might  involve  a  party  in  one 
common  fate.  We  were  told,  indeed,  that  no 
longer  ago  than  1837,  a  school  of  nearly  thirty 
youth,  with  their  teacher,  descended  into  these  Cata- 
combs on  a  visit,  and  never  reappeared.  The  pas- 
sage through  which  they  entered,  and  which  has 
since  been  walled  up,  was  pointed  out  to  us.  Every 
search  was  made,  but  in  vain ;  and  somewhere  in 
these  labyrinths  they  are  mouldering  by  the  side  of 
the  early  disciples  of  our  faith.  The  scene  which 
then  was  exhibited  in  these  dark  passages,  and  the 
chill  which  gradually  crept  over  their  young  spirits 
as  hope  yielded  to  despair,  could  be  described  only 
by  Dante,  in  terms  in  which  he  has  portrayed  the 
death  of  Ugolino  and  his  sons  in  the  tower  of  Fam- 
ine, at  Pisa.* 

There  was,  a  few  years  since,  a  singular  escape 
from  the  Catacombs,  by  a  young  French  artist,  M. 
Robert,  which  is  still  well  remembered  at  Rome. 
Hans  Christian  Andersen,  in  his  story  of  "  The  Im- 
provisator, or,  Life  in  Italy,"  has  wrought  it  up 
into  an  exciting  scene,  and  it  forms  an  episode  in 
the  Abbe  de  Lille's  poem,  "  L'lmagination."  "We 
can  not  forbear  quoting  the  version  of  the  latter, 
from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Macfarlane  : — 

"Eager  to  know  the  secrets  of  the  place, 
The  holy  cradle  of  our  Christian  race, 
A  youthful  artist  threads  those  inmost  cells, 
And  lowest  crypts,   where  darkness  ever  dwells. 
No  friend  to  cheer  him,  and  no  guide  to  lead, 
He  boldly  trusts  a  flambeau  and  a  thread. 

*  Inferno,  xxxiii.,  21-75. 


24  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

Brave  and  alone  he  cherishes  his  light, 

And  trusts  the  clew  will  guide  him  back  aright 

Onward  he  goes,  along  the  low-arched  caves, 

Crowded  with  martyrs'  relics  and  thefr  graves; 

Through  palaces  of  death,  by  countless  tombs, 

Through  awful  silence  and  through  thick'ning  glooms; 

Yet  pausing  oft,  as  walls  and  slabs  impart 

Some  lesson  of  the  earliest  Christian  art, 

Or  some  black  chasm  warns  him  to  beware, 

And  change  his  steps,  and  trim  his  torch  with  care. 

Onward  he  goes,  nor  takes  a  note  of  time, 

Impelled,  enchanted,  in  this  dismal  clime ; 

Thrilling  with  awe,  but  yet  untouched  by  fear, 

He  passes  on  from  dreary  unto  drear  1 

The  crypts  diverge,  the  labyrinths  are  crossed  — 

He  will  return  —  alas!  his  clew  is  lost! 

Dropped  from  his  hand,  while  tracing  out  an  urn  ; 

The  faithless  string  is  gone,  and  dimly  burn 

The  flambeau's  threads.     He  gropes,  but  gropes  in  vain, 

Recedes,  advances,  and  turns  back  again; 

A  shivering  awe,  a  downright  terror  next 

Seizes  his  soul,  and  he  is  sore  perplexed! 

He  halts,  he  moves,  he  thinks,  he  rushes  on, 

But  only  finds  that  issue  there  is  none. 

Crypt  tangles  crypt,  a  perfect  network  weaves 

This  dark  Dsedalian  world,  these  horrent  caves. 

He  mutters  to  himself,  he  shouts,  he  calls, 

And  echo  answers  from  a  hundred  walls. 

That  awful  echo  doubles  his  dismay, 

That  grimmer  darkness  leads  his  head  astray. 

Cold  at  his  heart!  his  breath,  now  quick,  now  slow, 

Sounds  in  that  silence  like  a  wail  of  wo ! 

Oh !  for  one  cheering  ray  of  Heaven's  bright  sun, 

Which  through  long  hours  his  glorious  course  hath  run, 

Since  he  came  here!     And  now  his  torch's  light 

Flickers,  expires  in  smoke  —  and  all  is  night! 

Thick-coming  fancies  trouble  all  his  sense, 

He  strives  but  vainly  strives,  to  drive  them  thence; 

Cleaves  his  dried  tongue  unto  the  drier  roof, 

Nor  word,  nor  breath,  hath  he  at  his  behoof; 


VISIT   TO    THE    CATACOMBS.  25 

That  dying  torch  last  shone  upon  a  grave, 

That  grave  his  tomb,  for  who  shall  help  and  save? 

Alone!  yet  not  alone,  for  phantoms  throng 

His  burning  brain,  and  chase  the  crypts  along. 

And  other  spectres  rush  into  the  void  — 

Blessings  neglected,  leisure  misemployed, 

And  passions  left  to  rise  and  rage  at  will, 

And  faults,  called  follies,  but  were  vices  still; 

And  wild  caprice,  and  words  at  random  spoken, 

By  which  kind  hearts  were  wounded,  though  not  broken, 

Bootless  resolves,  repentance  late  and  vain  — 

All  these  and  more  come  thund'ring  through  his  brain; 

Condensing  in  one  single  moment  rife, 

The  6ins  of  all  his  days,  the  history  of  his  life; 

And  death  at  hand!  not  that  which  heroes  hail, 

On  battle-field,  when  'Victory!'  swells  the  gale, 

And  love  of  country,  Glory  standing  by, 

Make  it  a  joy  and  rapture  so  to  die! 

But  creeping  death,  slow,  anguished,  and  obscure, 

A  famished  death,  no  mortal  may  endure! 

But  this  his  end!  our  prisoned  artist's  fate, 

He  young,  he  joyous,  and  but  now  elate 

With  every  hope  that  warms  the  human  breast, 

Before  experience  tells  that  life's  a  jest; 

Full  of  his  art,  of  projects,  and  of  love, 

Must  he  expire,  while  creeping  things  above, 

On  the  earth's  surface,  in  the  eye  of  day, 

Revel  in  life,  nor  feel  this  drear  dismay? 

But  hark!  a  stepl  alas,  no  step  is  there! 

But  see!  a  glimmering  light!   oh,  foul  despair! 

No  ray  pervades  this  darkness,  grim  and  rare. 

He  staggers,  reels,  and  falls,  and  falling  prone, 

Grapples  the  ground  where  he  must  die  alone, 

But  in  that  fall  touches  his  outstretched  hand 

That  precious  clew  the  labyrinth  can  command, 

Lost  long,  but  now  regained!     O  happy  wight, 

Gather  thy  strength,  and  haste  to  life  and  light 

And  up  he  rises,  quick,  but  cautious  grown, 

And  threads  the  mazes  by  that  string  alone; 

Comes  into  light,  and  feels  the  fanning  breeze, 

Sees  the  bright  stars,  and  drops  upon  his  knees; 

.         2 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

His  first  free  breath  is  uttered  in  a  prayer, 

Such  as  none  say  but  those  who've  known  despair! 

And  never  were  the  stars  of  heaven  so  sheen, 

Except  to  those  who'd  dwelt  where  he  had  been, 

And  never  Tiber,  rippling  through  the  meads, 

Made  music  half  so  sweet  among  its  reeds; 

And  never  had  the  earth  such  rich  perfume, 

As  when  from  him  it  chased  the  odor  of  the  tombT 


II. 


ORIGIN  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE  CATACOMBS. 


II. 

ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY   OF   THE   CATACOMBS. 

It  has  been  conjectured  by  some  writers,  that 
these  excavations  were  commenced  long  before  the 
founding  of  the  Eternal  city  by  that  race  who  made 
it  famous  under  the  name  of  Rome.  There  are 
traces  everywhere  of  a  former  miglity  people  in- 
habiting these  sites,  long  anterior  to  the  age  as- 
signed to  Romulus  and  Remus,  when  the  massive 
Etruscan  tombs  were  reared,  and  those  temples 
built  in  Pactum,  which,  two  thousand  years  ago, 
the  Romans  were  accustomed  to  visit  as  antiquities. 
But  they  were  a  people  all  knowledge  of  whose  lan- 
guage and  records  has  perished.  No  Rosetta  stone 
has  yet  been  found  to  furnish  a  key  to  the  literature 
of  this  mysterious  race,  and  their  existence  is  only 
known  by  the  inscriptions,  and  sculptures,  and 
vases,  dug  out  of  the  earth,  and  rilling  the  muse- 
ums of  Italy,  or  by  their  rifled  tombs  presenting 
objects  of  curious  study  to  the  antiquarian.  "We 
speak  of  them  as  the  Etruscans,  but  beyond  this 
everything  with  regard  to  them  is  a  blank. 

It  is  supposed  that  by  them  these  quarries  may 
have  been  first  opened,  for  there  is  a  massiveness  in 


y  R 


oU  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

the  character  of  their  architecture  which  enables  us 
at  once  to  distinguish  it,  even  from  the  earlier  Ro- 
man. These  ancient  quarries  abound,  too,  not  only 
at  Rome,  but  at  Naples,  and  through  all  the  south 
of  Italy.  They  are  traced,  too,  in  Sicily,  in  Greece, 
in  nearly  all  the  Greek  isles,  and  in  Asia  Minor ; 
and  perhaps  the  celebrated  labyrinth  in  the  island 
of  Crete  was  formed  originally  by  excavations  of 
this  kind.  But  they  are  never  found  except  in  the 
vicinity  of  some  considerable  and  ancient  city,  or 
near  the  spot  where  some  such  city  once  stood. 

The  Romans  inherited  the  domains  of  this  mys- 
terious race,  and  we  find  allusions  to  the  Catacombs 
in  their  writers  long  before  the  Christian  era.  The 
great  increase  of  the  city  in  the  latter  days  of  the 
republic,  led  again  to  the  working  of  quarries  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood,  to  procure  the  materials 
necessary  for  building.  The  soil  of  the  Campagna 
rests  on  tufa  and  puzzolana.  a  volcanic,  sandy  rock, 
easily  quarried,  and  from  its  texture  well  adapted 
to  the  excavation  of  long  galleries,  while  the  Es- 
quiline  hill  was  undermined  to  obtain  sand  for  ma- 
king cement.  These  subterranean  works  were 
referred  to  by  Cicero  in  his  oration  for  Clnentius, 
when  Asinius,  a  young  Roman  citizen,  was  in- 
veigled to  the  gardens  of  the  Esquiline,  and  precip- 
itated into  one  of  the  sand-pits  —  "in  arenarias 
quasdam  extra  portam  Esquilinam."  It  was,  too, 
in  these  caverns,  Suetonius  tells  us,  Nero  was  after- 
ward advised  to  conceal  himself  in  his  hour  of  dan- 
ger; on  which  occasion  he  made,  answer  to  his 
freedman,  Phaon,  that  "he  would  not  go  under 
the  ground  while  living." 


THEIR    ORIGIN   AND    HISTORY.  31 

In  this  way  it  was  that  these  crypts  or  galleries 
were  first  formed,  until  the  whole  subsoil  on  one 
side  of  Rome  was  in  the  course  of  time  perforated 
by  a  network  of  excavations,  which  ultimately  ex- 
tended to  a  distance  of  fifteen  or,  as  some  say,  twen- 
ty miles.  But  when  these  quarries  were  exhausted 
of  their  original  stores,  they  stood  vacant,  ready  to 
be  appropriated  to  any  other  use.  And  none,  of 
course,  would  know  their  intricate  windings  but 
those  whose  hands  had  formed  them,  and  by  whose 
labor  these  excavations  had  been  made. 

Then  came  the  advent  of  the  Christian  faith. 
The  arenarii,  or  sand-diggers,  and  the  workmen  in 
the  quarries,  were  persons  of  the  lowest  grade,  and 
cut  off  by  their  occupation  from  the  crowds  in  the 
busy  city,  probably  formed  a  separate  and  distinct 
community.  There  is  reason  to  believe,  that  Chris- 
tianity found  among  them  its  earliest  proselytes, 
for  its  first  followers  everywhere  were  the  lowest  in 
the  social  scale.  These  "  hereditary  bondsmen,''  in- 
deed, scarcely  calling  their  lives  their  own  in  this 
world,  would  most  naturally  gladly  welcome  the 
hopes  which  dawned  upon  them  from  the  world  to 
come.  One  of  the  most  common  figures  found  por- 
trayed in  nearly  all  these  quarries  —  and  which  can 
easily  be  distinguished  from  the  Christian  order  of 
the  fossors — is  that  of  a  man  carrying  some  imple- 
ment of  labor,  often  for  the  purpose  of  excavation, 
and  wearing  the  short  tunic  and  scanty  dress  of  the 
slave.  In  times  of  persecution,  therefore,  the  con- 
verts employed  in  the  subterranean  passages  had 
already  provided  for  them  a  secure  retreat,  which 
also  they  opened  to  their  brethren  in  the  faith,  until 


32  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   HOME. 

^  /*u~S  it  became  the  place  of  refuge  of  the  Roman  Church. 
/  In  addition  to  this,  we  learn  from  a  number  of  testi- 

rtf& Gi^S  monies,  that  the  early  Christians  themselves,  as  a 
^itw?  punishment  for  abandoning  the  ancient  faith,  were 
*j  0  often  sentenced  to  labor  in  these  sand-pits.  In  the 
/pS.haye  «  Actg  of  the  ]y;artyrS)"  we  are  io\^  t]mt  t\ie  Em- 

•-    ^if^^jyeror  Maximian  "condemned  all  the  Roman  sol- 

f  diers,  who  were  Christians,  to  hard  labor ;  and  in 

various  places  set  them  to  work,  some  to  dig  stones, 

^jj^f/l^r  others  sand.  He  also  ordered  Ciriacus  and  Sisinnus 
7,  ,  i  _ » to  be  strictly  guarded,  condemning  them  to  dig  sand, 

'trU^T^imd  to  carry  it  on  their  shoulders."    Thus  it  was 

fjJi^/Jn^ that  the  members  of  the  early  Church,  and  they 
alone,  became  familiar  with  these  winding  recesses. 
We  can  easily  imagine  how  concealment  in  these 
gloomy  labyrinths  became  practicable.  The  earli- 
est victims  selected  in  a  persecution  would,  of 
course,  be  those  most  prominent  in  the  Church  — 
its  bishop,  or  ministers,  or  officers.*  These,  there- 
fore, would  at  once  take  refuge  in  the  Catacombs, 
where  the  humbler  members  of  the  Church,  whose 
obscurity  for  a  time  gave  them  safety,  could  easily 
supply  them  with  all  the  necessaries  of  life. 
Springs,  too,  which  still  exist  in  various  corridors, 
and  wells  —  some  of  which  are  supposed  to  have 
been  dug  for  the  purpose  of  draining  parts  of  the 
Catacombs  —  show  some  of  the  means  by  which  life 
was  preserved. 

*  When,  in  1809,  Napoleon  was  pressing  his  demands  upon  Pius 
VII.,  that  pontiff,  in  refusing  to  comply,  said:  "I  shall  make  no  re- 
sistance; I  am  ready  to  retire  into  a  convent,  or  into  the  same  Cata- 
combs of  Rome  that  afforded  shelter  to  the  first  successors  of  St. 
Peter." 


THEIR    ORIGIN    AND   HISTORY.  33 

And  may  we  not  trace  in  this  the  hand  of  a  pro- 
tecting Providence?  The  Church  was  about  to 
enter  the  furnace  of  affliction,  and  to  be  encircled 
by  the  rage  of  the  adversaries ;  here,  then,  had  pre- 
viously been  provided  a  sure  refuge,  where  it  could 
abide  until  the  storm  was  overpast.  This  was  the 
cradle  of  the  infant  community.  And,  perhaps,  we 
may  go  a  step  farther,  and  assert,  that  while  the 
church  in  Rome  owed  much  of  the  rapidity  of  its 
triumph  to  the  protection  afforded  by  the  Cata- 
combs, by  furnishing  a  place  of  refuge  where  the 
faithful  generally  had  a  secure  retreat,  in  later 
times  the  lessons  taught  by  these  ancient  sepulchres 
must  have  long  served  to  arrest  the  progress  of  in- 
novation, as  the  Roman  Christians  beheld  recorded, 
before  their  eyes,  evidences  of  the  faith  held  "in 
their  fathers'  day,  and  in  the  old  time  before  them." 
That  the  Catacombs  were,  throughout,  well  known 
to  the  early  Christians,  is  evident;  for  all  parts 
bear  trace  of  their  occupancy.  We  meet  on  every 
side  with  tombs  and  chapels,  paintings  and  inscrip- 
tions, and  for  three  hundred  years  the  entire  Chris- 
tian population  of  Rome  found  sepulture  in  these 
recesses. 

The  "Acts  of  the  Martyrs"  relate  many  attempts 
made  by  the  persecutors  of  the  early  Christians,  to 
trace  them  in  these  retreats.  But  the  entrances 
were  so  numerous, "scattered  for  miles  over  the 
Campagna,  and  the  labyrinths  below  so  compli- 
cated, and  blocked  up  in  various  places,  that  pur- 
suit was  generally  useless.  Occasionally,  however, 
these  efforts  were  successful,  and  the  Catacombs  be- 
came not  only  the  burial-place  of  the  martyrs,  but 
9* 


34  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

also  the  scene  of  their  last  sufferings.  In  the  time 
of  Cyprian,  Xystus,  bishop,  of  Borne,  together  with 
Quartus,  one  of  his  clergy,  poured  out  their  blood 
on  this  spot ;  and  Stephen,  another  bishop  of  Rome, 
was  traced  by  the  heathen  soldiers  to  his  subter- 
ranean chapel.  They  allowed  him  to  conclude  the 
service  in  which  he  was  engaged,  when  he  was 
thrust  back  into  his  episcopal  chair,  and  thus  be- 
headed.* v 

In  the  life  of  this  St.  Stephen,  the  first  Roman 
bishop  of  that  name,,  there  are  many  scenes  con- 
nected with  the  Catacombs.  It  was  there  that  he 
was  obliged  to  pass  much  of  his  time,  sending  forth 
the  priest  Eusebius  and  the  deacon  Marcellus,  to 
invite  the  faithful  to  come  to  him  for  personal  con- 
ference. There  he  assembled  his  clergy  and  col- 
lected the  neophytes,  to  instruct  and  baptize  them. 
Among  his  followers  was  Hippolytus,  a  Christian 
of  Rome,  who  had  also  taken  refuge  in  the  Cata- 
combs. His  sister  Paulina,  and  her  husband  Adri- 
as,  both  pagans,  wrho  were  intrusted  with  the  secret 
of  his  retreat,  supplied  him  with  the  requisites  of 
life,  by  means  of  their  two  children,  a  boy  of  ten, 
and  a  girl  of  thirteen  years  of  age.  They  were  in 
the  habit  of  repairing  to  their  uncle's  hiding-place 
at  stated  times,  with  a  basket  of  provisions.  Hip- 
polytus, sorrowing  over  the  heathen  darkness  of  his 
relatives,  sought  the  venerable  bishop,  and  con^ 
suited  him  on  the  subject  of  his  painful  solicitude. 
The  advice  he  received  was,  to  detain  them  on  their 
next  visit,  in  the  hope  that  their  parents,  alarmed 
by  their  absence,  wTould  themselves  seek  them  in 

*  Baronius:    Annals,  torn,  iii.,  p.  76. 


THEIR    ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY. 


35 


the  Catacombs,  when  a  favorable  opportunity  would 
be  afforded  for  placing  before  them  the  claims  of 
our  faith.  The  expedient  was  adopted,  and  when 
the  children  next  made  their  usual  visit,  they  were 
easily  persuaded  to  remain.  Their  parents,  at  the 
expiration  of  the  ordinary  interval,  became  alarmed, 
and  hurried  to  the  cemetery,  where  they  found  their 
son  and  daughter  with  St.  Stephen,  who  used  all  his 
persuasive  eloquence,  but  apparently  in  vain,  to 
make  them  converts  to  the  Christian  faith.  They 
retired  unbelievers;  bat  the  good  seed  was  sown. 
They  returned  again,  at  the  request  of  the  bishop, 
and  after  repeated  meetings,  and  a  course  of  in- 
struction, they  and  their  children  were  baptized ; 
and  all  four,  as  well  as  St.  Stephen  and  Hippolytus, 
were  honored  with  the  crown  of  martyrdom  and 
buried  in  the  Catacombs.* 

St.  Chrysostom,  who  although  not  living  in  the 
age  of  persecution,  was  near  enough  to  it  to  receive 
its  traditions  in  all  their  original  freshness,  uses  on 
one  occasion  an  illustration  plainly  drawn  from 
these  scenes.  He  speaks  of  "  a  lady  unaccustomed 
to  privation,  trembling  in  a  vault,  apprehensive  of 
the  capture  of  her  maid,  upon  whom  she  depends 
for  her  daily  food." 

We  have,  too,  the  testimony  of  Prudentius,  who 
also  in  a  most  graphic  manner  portrays  these  re- 
treats. After  speaking  of  the  care  shown  by  the 
church  in  gathering  the  mangled  remains  of  the 
martyr  Hippolytus,  he  thus  minutely  describes  the 
catacomb  in  which  they  are  deposited  : — 

*  Baronius :   Annals,  torn,  in.,  p.  69. 


36  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

"  Haud   procul  extremo  culta  ad  pomeria  vallo, 
Mersa  latebrosis  crypta  patet  forcis, 
Hujus  in  oceultum  grgdibus  via   prona  reflexis 
Ire  per  anfractus  luce  latente  docet ; 
Primas  namque  fores  sum  mo  terms  iutrat  hialu; 
Illustratque  dies  limina  vestibuli. 
Inde  ubi  progressu  facili  nigrescere  visa  est 
Nox  obscura  loci  per  specus  ambiguum, 
Occurrunt  celsis  immensa  foramina  tectis, 
Qua}  jaciunt  claros  antra  super  radios. 
Quamlibet  ancipites  texant  hinc  inde  recessus, 
Arcta  sub  umbrosis  atria  portieibus; 
Attamen  excisi  subter  cava  viscera   montis 
Crebra  terebrato  fornice  lux  penetrat; 
Sic  datur   absentis  per  subterranea  solis 
Ceraere  fulgorem   luminibusque  frui.* 

"Beyond  the  rampart,  'mid  the  garden-grounds, 
Darkles  a   crypt  in   the  sequestered  mine  : 
With  tortuous  steps,  a  swift  descent  and  prone, 
Dives  down  into  its  heart.     The  cavern's  mouth 
Lies  open  freely  to  the  day,   and  drinks 
A  light  that  cheers  the  shadowy  vestibule ; 
But,  in  its  bosom,  night,   obscure  and  vast, 
Blackens  around  the  explorer's  way,  nor  yields 
Save  where,  down  fissures  slanting  through   the  vaults, 
Clear  rays,  though  broken,  glance  on  roof  and  wall. 
On   all  sides  spreads  the  labyrinth,  woven  dense 
With  paths  that  cross  each  other;   branching  now 
In  caverned  chapels  and   sepulchral  halls; 
But  ever  through  the  subterranean  maze 
That  light  from  fissure  and  from  cleft  looks  down, 
Fruition  granting  of  an  absent  sun." 

There  is  one  inscription  over  the  grave  of  a  mar- 
tyr, which  shows  that  he  was  surprised  by  the  emi- 
saries  of  Antonine  while  praying  in  the  Catacombs. 
The  date  of  this  event  was  during  the  fifth  persecu- 

*  Peristephanon  :  Hymn  iv. 


THEIR    ORIGIN    AND   HISTORY.  '       37 

tion,  in  the  reign  of  the  second  Antonine  (for  the 
first  was  friendly  to  the  Christians),  which  began 
in  the  year  161.  We  copy  a  portion  only  of  the 
epitaph: — 

"  GENVA  ENIM  FLECTENS  VERO   DEO  SA 
CRIFICATVRVS  AD  SVPPLICIA  DVCTTVRO 
TEMPORA  INFAVSTA  QVIBVS   INTER  SA 
CRA  ET  VOTA  NE  IN   CAVERNIS  QVIDEM 
SALVARI  POSSIMVS" 

"  For  while  on  his  knees,  and  about  to  sacrifice  to  the  true  God, 
he  was  led  away  to  execution.  O  6ad  times!  in  which  sacred  rites 
and  prayers,  even  in  caverns,  afford  no  protection  to  us  1" 

The  edicts  of  the  Roman  emperors,  indeed,  often 
referred  to  the  cemeteries  as  places  of  worship. 
Such  was  the  case  when  yEmilianus,  a  prsefect  of 
Egypt  during  the  persecution  under  Yalerian, 
issued  an  edict,  one  sentence  of  which  was — 
"  Moreover,  it  shall  no  longer  be  lawful  for  you  or 
for  others  to  hold  assemblies,  nor  to  enter  the  ceme- 
teries, as  they  are  called."  Orders  to  the  same  im- 
port were  sent  forth  by  Maximian,  on  the  renewal 
of  the  Diocletian  persecution,  forbidding  the  Chris- 
tians to  meet  in  the  Catacombs.  The  attempt  how- 
ever proved  futile,  and  the  followers  of  Christ  still 
found  a  refuge  in  their  accustomed  places  of  meet- 
ing, until  the  adherents  of  the  old  religion,  under 
the  government  of  Hilario,  were  so  exasperated 
that  they  demanded  the  destruction  of  the  Cata- 
combs.* No  effort  was  made,  however,  to  carry 
this  into  effect,  peace  came  once  more  at  the  close 
of  the  Yalerian  persecution,  and  when  the  Empe- 

*  Tertullian,  Ep.  and  Scapulam,  cap.  5. 


38  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

ror  Gallienus  sent  forth  an  edict,  declaring  that  the 
ministers  of  the  faith  might  perform  the  customary 
duties  of  their  office  with  freedom,  particular  refer- 
ence is  made  to  the  Catacombs  which  had  been 
seized  by  his  officers.  He  grants  permission  to  the 
bishops,  "to  recover  what  are  called  the  ceme- 
teries."* So  well  known  at  this  time  had  become 
these  caves  as  places  of  Christian  worship.  Even 
after  the  general  establishment  of  Christianity,  as 
late  as  the  year  352,  during  a  temporary  persecu- 
tion by  the  Arians,  Liberius,  bishop  of  Rome,  took 
up  his  abode  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Agnes. 

"  To  our  classic  associations,  indeed,  Rome  was 
still,  under  Trajan  and  the  Antonines,  the  city  of. 
the  Caesars,  the  metropolis  of  pagan  idolatry  —  in 
the  pages  of  her  poets  and  historians  we  still  linger 
among  the  triumphs  of  the  Capitol,  the  shows  of 
the  Coliseum — or  if  we  read  of  a  Christian  being 
dragged  before  the  tribunal,  or  exposed  to  the 
beasts,  we  think  of  him  as  one  of  a  scattered  com- 
munity, few  in  number,  spiritless  in  action,  and 
politically  insignificant.  But  all  this  while  there 
was  living  beneath  the  visible,  an  invisible  Rome 
—  a  population  unheeded,  unreckoned  —  thought 
of  vaguely,  vaguely  spoken  of,  and  with  the  fa- 
miliarity and  indifference  that  men  feel  who  live  on 
a  volcano,  yet  a  population  strong-hearted,  of  quick 
impulses,  nerved  alike  to  suffer  or  to  die,  and  in 
numbers,  resolution,  and  physical  force,  sufficient 
to  have  hurled  their  oppressors  from  the  throne  of 
the  world,  had  they  not  deemed  it  their  duty  to 
kiss  the  rod,  to  love  their  enemies,  to  bless  thoso 

*  Eusebius  :  Hist.  Eceles.,  lib.  vii.,  cap.  18. 


THEIR    ORIGEST    AND   HISTORY.  39 

that  cursed  them,  and  to  submit,  for  their  Redeem- 
er's sake,  to  the  '  powers  that  be.'  Here,  in  these 
'  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,'  they  lived ;  here, 
they  died  —  a  'spectacle'  in  their  lifetime  'to  men 
and  angels,'  and  on  their  death  a  '  triumph'  to  man- 
kind—  a  triumph  of  which  the  echoes  still  float 
around  the  walls  of  Rome,  and  over  the  desolate 
Campagna,  while  those  that  once  thrilled,  the  Capi- 
tol are  silenced,  and  the  walls  that  returned  them 
have  long  since  crumbled  into  dust."* 

Thus,  three  centuries  passed  by,  and  Christianity 
emerging  from  these  recesses,  walked  boldly  on  the 
soil  beneath  wnich  she  had  so  long  been  glad  to 
seek  concealment.  Then,  for  a  time,  the  Cata- 
combs were  places  which  the  Christians,  now  living 
in  security,  visited  with  reverence,  as  the  scenes  of 
their  brethren's  sufferings.  St.  Jerome  thus  speaks 
of 'them  in  the  middle  of  the  fourth  century  :  "  When 
I  was  at  Rome,"  says  the  monk  of  Palestine,  "  still 
a  youth,  and  employed  in  literary  pursuits,  I  was 
accustomed,  in  company  witji  others  of  my  own 
age,  and  actuated  by  the  same  feelings,  to  visit  on 
Sundays  the  sepulchres  of  the  apostles  and  martyrs, 
and  often  to  go  down  into  the  crypts  dug  in  the 
heart  of  the  earth,  where  the  walls  on  either  side 
are  lined  with  the  dead  ;  and  so  intense  is  the  dark- 
ness, that  we  almost  realize  the  words  of  the  proph- 
et, 'They  go  down  alive  into  Hades.'  Here  and 
there  a  scanty  aperture,  ill  deserving  the  name  of 
a  window^  admits  scarcely  light  enough  to  mitigate 
the  gloom  which  reigns  below  ;  and  as  we  advance 
through  the  shades  with  cautious  steps,  we  are  for- 

*  Lord  Lindsay's  Christian  Art,  vol.  i.,  p.  4. 


40  THE   CATACOMBS   OF  ROME. 

cibly  reminded  of  the  words  of  Virgil :  '  Hor- 
ror ubique  animos,  simul  ipsa  silentia  terrent. — 
Horror  on  all  sides,  even  the  silence  terrifies  the 
mind.'  "* 

But  these  crypts  became  more  than  places  to  be 
visited  by  the  curious  with  melancholy  interest. 
When  "the  calamities  were  overpast,"  and  the 
true-hearted  needed  no  longer  for  safety  to  "  wan- 
der in  dens  and  -caves  of  the  earth,"  reverence  for 
these  dark  abodes  which  had  been  the  scenes  of  the 
sufferings  and  constancy  of  those  from  whom  they 
had  inherited  their  faith,  was  witnessed  in  their 
still  continuing  to  be  selected  as  places  of  sepulture. 
Compelled,  no  longer  by  the  rage  of  the  adversary, 
to  spend  their  lives  in  these  gloomy  retreats,  they 
turned  to  them  in  the  hour  of  death,  and  enjoined 
that  their  last  resting-place  should  be  with  the  mar- 
tyrs in  this  terra  sancta.  Popes  and  prelates,  kings 
and  queens,  emperors  and  empresses,  the  highest  in 
rank  and  the  most  devout  in  life,  or  most  penitent 
in  death,  were  for  some  centuries  interred  in  these 
crypts,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  tombs  of  Roman 
slaves  and  criminals,  Christian  laborers  and  hewers 
of  stone,  and  the  early  martyrs.  Even  from  the  re- 
mote parts  of  Europe,  the  bodies  of  illustrious  per- 
sons were  carried  thither  for  sepulture,  as,  a  few 
centuries  later,  princes  and  nobles  commanded  in 
their  wills,  that  their  bodies,  or,  at  least,  their 
hearts,  should  be  carried  to  Palestine  and  buried 
in  the  Holy  Land.  The  following  are  a  few  of  the 
illustrious  dead  who  were  inhumed  in  the  Roman 
Catacombs  during  the  Middle  Ages : — 

*  Hieronymus  in  Ezeehiel,  cnp.  xl. 


THEIR   ORIGIN   AND   HISTORY.      ,  4:1 

Anaclitus,  fifth  bishop  of  Rome. 

Pope  Leo  I. 

Pope  Gregory  the  Great,  who  first  undertook  the  conversion  of 
the  Anglo-Saxons. 

Popes  Gregory  II.  and  III. 

Pope  Leo  IX.  He  died  A.  D.  1050,  and  was  the  last  pope  buried 
in  the  Catacombs. 

The  Emperor  Honorius. 

The  Emperor  Valentinian. 

The  Emperor  Otho  II. 

Cedwalla,  a  king  of  the  "Western  Saxons. 

Conrad,  a  king  of  the  Mercians. 

Offa,  a  Saxon  king. 

Ina,  a  king  of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  with  Queen  Eldiburga,  his  wife. 

The  Princess  Mary,  daughter  of  Stilicho,  and  wife  of  the  Empe- 
ror Honorius. 

The  Empress  Agnes. 

The  unfortunate  Charlotte,  queen  of  Cyprus. 

The  celebrated  Countess  Matilda,  who  lived  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, and  to  whom  the  Roman  see  was  much  indebted  for  the  in- 
crease of  its  wealth  and  territorial  possessions.* 

But  it  was  not  long  after  the  firm  establishment 
of  Christianity  as  the  religion  of  the  state,  that  the 
flood  of  barbarian  invasion  rolled  over  Italy,  when 
neither  works  of  art,  or  holy  places,  or  consecrated 
churches,  were  respected  by  their  rude  northern 
conquerors.  When  the  army  of  the  Huns  under 
Attila,  and  then  that  of  the  Goths  under  Totila, 
were  gathered  about  the  walls  of  Rome,  pressing 
its  siege,  they  ransacked  the  Catacombs  and  tore 
open  the  graves,  in  the  hope  of  finding  buried 
treasures.     And  these  were  followed  by  the  Lom- 

*  This  list  is  given  by  Macfarlane,  p.  35.  He  has  taken  it  from 
that  of  the  Abb6  Gaume,  Les  Trois  Romes,  v.  iv.  p.  39.  Arringhi 
has  also  devoted  a  chapter  to  this  subject,  in  which  he  gives  sub- 
stantially the  6ame  catalogue:  "De  imperatoribus  ac  regibus,  qui 
apud  Vaticanum  sepulture  traditi  sunt." — Lib.  ii.,  cap.  9. 


42  THE    CATACOMBS    OP   ROME. 

bards  and  Saracens,  and  other  devastators.  Each 
added  to  the  desecrations,  until  the  Catacombs  were 
necessarily  deserted  by  the  Christian  population  of 
Home.  Burials  ceased  in  the  crypts,  and  services 
in  the  chapels,  until  the  neglected  caverns  were 
left  to  bats  and  obscure  birds  and  beasts,  or  became 
the  hiding-places  of  runaway  debtors,  thieves,  and 
banditti.  The  Roman  peasants  avoided  them  in 
dread,  or  when,  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  mar- 
ket-places of  the  city,  they  wrere  obliged  to  pass  the 
mouths  of  the  caverns  under  the  Esquiline  mount, 
they  did  so  in  companies,  hurrying  by  with  trem- 
bling steps,  as  they  muttered  a  prayer,  or  chanted 
a  psalm  or  Hymn. 

Then  came  the  tumultuous  times  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  when  the  country  was  surrendered  up  to  the 
warfare  of  factious  nobles  and  an  unruly  populace, 
when  often,  for  long  seasons,  all  was  utter  anarchy, 
and  in  the  language  of  Dante  — 

"  Never  was  Romagna  without  war 
In  her  proud  tyrants'  bosoms." 

Every  tomb  and  monument  was  turned  into  a 
fortress,  and  the  visiter  to  Rome  can  still  see  about 
them  the  remains  of  these  mediaeval  battlements. 
The  Fran  gi  pan  i  held  the  massive  arch  of  Janus  Qu- 
drifons  and  the  Coliseum;  the  Orsini,  the  tomb  of 
Hadrian,  and  the  theatre  of  Pompcy  ;  the  Colonna 
family,  the  mausoleum  of  Augustus  and  the  baths 
of  Constantine;  the  tomb  of  Csecilia  Metella  was 
converted  into  a  fortress  by  the  Savelli  and  the 
Gsetani ;  the  ruins  of  the  Capitol  were  held  by 
the  Corsi ;  the  Quirinal  by  the  Conti ;  and  the 
Pantheon  by  the  garrison  of  the  popes. 


THEIR   ORIGIN    AND   HISTORY.  43 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  therefore  that  the  Cata- 
combs should  escape  the  same  desecration.  The 
contests  of  the  feudal  retainers  of  these  warlike 
nobles  penetrated  even  to  these  secluded  caverns, 
conspiracies  were  arranged  in  their  dark  recesses, 
and  armed  insurgents  assembled  there,  to  wait  for 
reinforcements  from  the  neighboring  towns  and 
villages,  and  for  the  fierce  banditti  from  the  moun- 
tains. During  that  long  contest  between  the  pow- 
erful families  of  Colonna  and  Orsini,  the  combats 
between  their  vassals  and  retainers  took  place,  not 
only  on  the  Esquiline  mount,  but  also  in  the  caverns 
beneath.  The  awfulness  of  the  spot,  the  dread  pres- 
ence of  the  departed,  and  the  emblems  of  religion, 
imposed  no  restraints  upon  the  furious  combatants, 
but  often  these  dark  passages  rang  with  the  rival 
war  cries  —  "The  Colonna!  the  Colonna!"  and 
"  Beware  the  bear's  hug!"  So  too  was  it  when 
Sciarra  Colonna  seized  Pope  Boniface  and  made 
him  prisoner  in  his  own  palace.  He  had  called 
down  from  the  mountains  of  the  Abruzzi,  and  his 
other  fiefs  and  castles  in  the  Apennines,  bands  of 
fierce  retainers,  who  arrived  in  small  parties,  and 
to  prevent  suspicion  concealed  themselves  in  these 
caverns  until  their  leader  could  summon  them 
forth  at  the  moment  for  action. 

Nor  was  the  case  different  when  in  the  next  age 
the  papal  court  was  removed  to  Avignon,  during 
the  seventy  years  which  Petrarch  calls  "the  Baby- 
lonian captivity."  Then,  a  darker  ruin  gathered 
about  the  Imperial  city.  The  country  around  was 
inundated,  and  the  stagnant  waters,  mixed  with 
decomposed   vegetable   matter,  evaporated   under 


44  THE   CATACOMBS    OF  ROME. 

the  intense  summer  sun,  until  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood of  the  city,  where  the  openings  of  the  Cata- 
combs were  situated,  became  a  prey  to  the  most 
deadly  malaria.  At  certain  seasons  these  passages 
were  occupied  by  shepherds  and  their  flocks,  while 
spending  the  winter  months  in  grazing  on  the 
wide-spread  Campagna,  but  ordinarily  they  seem 
to  have  been  the  resorts  of  robbers  and  felons. 
This  is  the  testimony  of  Petrarch  : — 

"  They  are  become  like  robbers'  caves, 
So  that  only  the  good  are  denied  entrance; 
And  among  altars  and  saintly  statues, 
Every  cruel  enterprise  seems  to  be  concerted."* 

Amid  the  revolutions  caused  by  the  efforts  of 
Cola  di  Rienzi,  "  the  last  of  the  Tribunes,"  the  Cata- 
combs are  again  mentioned  as  places  of  muster  and 
concealment,  and  one  of  the  old  chroniclers  tells  us, 
that  when  the  final  hour  of  the  Tribune  had  come, 
and  the  furious  populace  were  gathered  against 
him,  being  advised  by  some  of  his  friends  to  take 
temporary  refuge  in  the  Catacombs,  he  answered, 
as  Nero  had  done  thirteen  hundred  years  before, 
that  "  he  would  not  bury  himself  alive." 

Yet  even  in  the  darkest  times,  when  most  persons 
shunned  the  Catacombs  as  places  of  danger,  there 
seem  to  have  been  some  who,  moved  by  piety  or 
curiosity,  occasionally  visited  the  few  crypts  which 
were  most  accessible,  and  left  behind  them,  on  the 
walls  or  tombstones,  brief  inscriptions,  hastily  and 

*  "  Quasi  epelunca  di  ladron  son  fatti, 

Tal   ch'  a  buon  solamente  uscio  si  chiude ; 
E  tra  le  altari,  e  tra  statue  ignude, 
Ogni  impressa  crudel  par  che  si  tratti." 
,  Canzone,  xi. 


THEIR   ORIGIN   AND   HISTORY.  45 

sligh'tly.  cut,  to  record  their  visits.  Thus  we  find  in 
one  place,  a  few  words  denoting  that  a  Bishop  of 
Pisa  and  his  companions  had  been  there  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  fourteenth  century ;  and  in  another 
place  are  traced  the  names  of  six  individuals  —  Ger- 
man names,  Latinized  —  with  the  sign  of  the  cross 
after  each  name,  and  the  date,  A.  D.,  1397,  under- 
neath them  all.  On  one  of  the  early  Christian 
tombs,  too,  were  found  a  palm-leaf  worked  in  sil- 
ver, and  a  small  coronet  of  silver,  gilded  and  in- 
scribed with  a  name,  and  the  date  1340.  They  had 
been  concealed  and  preserved  by  the  pozzolano 
and  earth  falling  upon  them  and  burying  them.  In 
another  crypt  was  found  this  inscription,  with  the 
date  1321  above  it,  and  the  names  of  three  visi- 
ters beneath  it :  "  Gather  together,  O  Christians,  in 
these  caverns,  to  read  the  holy  books,  to  sing  hymns 
to  the  honor  of  martyrs  and  the  saints  that  here  lie 
bnried,  having  died  in  the  Lord;  to  sing  psalms 
for  those  who  are  now  dying  in  the  faith.  There  is 
light  in  this  darkness.  There  is  music  in  these 
tombs."* 

It  is  evident  that,  during  these  ages,  these  sanctu- 
aries of  the  ancient  Church  were  gradually  forgot- 
ten. The  mouths  of  most  of  the  Catacombs  were 
blocked  up  by  the  accumulation  of  rubbish,  by  the 
falling  in  of  the  tufa  and  earth  over  the  arches,  or 
by  the  rapid  growth  of  gigantic  weeds,  dense  bushes, 
and  trees.  It  required  constant  use  to  preserve  a 
knowledge  of  their  intricate  windings,  and  there- 
fore a  few  only  of  the  principal   entrances  were 

*  For  many  of  these  facts  with  regard  to  the  Middle  Ages  we  are 
indebted  to  Macfarlane,  p.  36. 


46  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   SOME. 

kept  open.  Even  these  gradually  became  neglected, 
until  the  Church  scarcely  remembered  her  ancient 
home.  It  was  not  until  the  sixteenth  century  that, 
through  the  labors  of  Bosio,  the  entire  range  of  the 
Catacombs  was  reopened,  after  being  untouched  for 
more  than  a  thousand  years.  They  were  found  to 
be  a  vast  treasury,  rich  in  memorials  of  saints  and 
martyrs — an  enduring  testimony,  every  page  of 
which  bore  witness  to  the  truth  of  Christian  history, 
and  recorded  in  letters  "  graven  on  the  rock,"  the 
trials  and  persecutions  of  the  early  Church.  Then, 
when  the  revival  of  letters  enabled  the  learned  to 
profit  by  the  discovery,  investigations  commenced, 
which  have  been  prosecuted  to  the  present  day,  as 
the  question  has  been  agitated,  whether  Rome 
shall  be  permitted  to  claim  identity  in  discipline 
and  doctrine  with  these  ancient  disciples,  who  have 
thus  bequeathed  to  us  the  memorials  of  their  faith 
and  sufferings. 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  Catacombs.  These  dark 
and  gloomy  passages  once  formed  the  cradle  of  the 
Christian  faith  in  Europe.  As  one  age  of  perse- 
cution after  another  drew  its  dark  pall  over  the 
Church,  it  was  here  that  the  true-hearted  found 
their  place  of  refuge  —  their  impregnable  fortress, 
against  the  might  of  pagan  Rome.  These  narrow- 
passages  "rang  with  their  hymns  of  lofty  cheer"  — 
here,  they  were  trained  for  those  victories  which 
"wrote  their  names  among  the  stars;"  and  when 
the  conflict  was  over,  here  their  brethren  laid  them 
to  their  rest,  in  the  very  spot  which  had  been  so 
often  hallowed  by  their  prayers.  "  And  their  sep- 
ulchres are  with  us  unto  this  day." 


III. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  CATACOMBS. 


III. 

DESCRIPTION    OF   THE   CATACOMBS. 

In  the  account  of  our  visit  to  the  Catacombs,  we 
have  somewhat  anticipated  the  general  features  of 
these  retreats.  We  will  endeavor,  however,  to  give 
a  more  particular  description,  to  enable  our  readers 
to  understand  their  connection  with  primitive  times, 
and  the  nature  of  the  testimony  they  bear  to  early 
faith. 

We  have  mentioned  the  manner  in  which  these 
winding  passages  are  excavated  from  the  rock. 
They  are  stated  by  D'Agincourt,  to  follow  the  di- 
rection of  the  veins  of  pOzzolano  ;  but  this  is  a  point 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  prove.  Nor  can  we 
at  this  day  tell  their  extent;  as  the  very  intricacy 
of  their  crossings  and  recrossings,  together  with  the 
danger  of  passages  caving  in  so  as  to  render  a  re- 
turn impossible,  would  be  sufficient  to  prevent  their 
thorough  exploration.  In  the  sacristy  of  St.  Sebas- 
tian hangs  a  map  of  the  passages  for  a  few  miles, 
the  very  sight  of  whose  complicated  turnings  would 
be  sufficient  to  extinguish  any  such  wish  in  one 
who   had  a  regard  for  his  life.     Arringhi,  in  his 

3 


50  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

"  Roma  Subterranea,"  gives  a  plan  of  a  portion  — 
that  known  as  the  Cemetery  of  St.  Calixtus — 
which  we  have  copied.* 

They  are  said  by  some  writers  to  extend  as  far  as 
Ostia,  nearly  twenty  miles  distant,  f  It  is  certain 
that  many  miles  from  the  Church  of  St.  Sebastian 
there  are  openings  into  the  Catacombs,  but  whether 
they  communicate  with  those  which  are  entered  at 
that  place,  it  is  impossible  to  determine.  The  prob- 
ability is,  that  all  this  section  of  country  without 
the  gates  of  Rome  is  excavated  so  as  to  form  a  per- 
fect labyrinth  of  passages.  They  resemble  a  sub- 
terranean city  with  its  streets  and  alleys,  and  so 
encircle  the  walk,  that  they  have  been  called  ""  the 
encampment  of  the  Christian  host  besieging  pagan 
J  ionic,  and  driving  inward  its  mines  and  tranches 
with  an  ass n ranee  of  final  victory." 

In  the  twelfth  century,  Petrus  Mailing  enumer- 
ated nineteen  of  these  cemeteries.  Another  writer, 
in  the  next  century,  counted  twenty-one,  and  in 
dwelling  on  their  extent,  says:  "There  are  Cata- 
combs that  run  three  miles  under  ground  ;  it  was 
in  these  that  the  holy  martyrs  concealed  themselves 
in  times  of  persecution."  Jn  the  sixteenth  century, 
Panvini  counted  thirty-nine,  and  gave  the  distinc- 
tive name  of  each;  while  the  latest  writer  on  this 
subject,  the  Abbe  Gerbet,;}:  asserts  that  they  amount 

*  See  Frontispiece. 

f  "They  are  continued  underground,  as  is  said,  twenty  miles  to 
Ostia,  the  port  of  Rome,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber,  in  one  direction, 
and  to  Alhano,  twelve  miles  in  another."—  Visit  to  Europe,  by  Pro- 
fessor tSiUiman,  vol.  i.,  p.  329. 

\  Esquisse  de  Rome  Chrctknne,  vol.  ii.  ;   Paris,  1850. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   CATACOMBS.  51 

to  fifty.*  This  enumeration,  however,  is  very  un- 
certain, as  openings  into  the  Catacombs  being  scat- 
tered all  over  the  country,  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
whether  they  are  separate  excavations,  or  connected 
by  crypts  and  galleries. 

The  character  of  the  Catacombs  is  always  the 
same,  and  answers  the  description  given  by  Baro- 
nius  of  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla,  which  was  dis- 
covered in  his  day  near  the  Via  Latina.  Speaking 
of  Dion's  account  of  the  subterranean  passages 
made  by  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem,  as  places  of  safe- 
ty, on  their  revolt  against  Hadrian,  he  remarks  : 
"  This  description  of  Dion's  of  the  underground  pas- 
sages made  by  the  Jews,  is  also  precisely  applicable 
to  the  cemeteries  once  constructed  at  Rome,  in  the 
caverns  of  the  arenaria ;  which  were  not  only  used 
for  the  purpose  of  burying  the  dead  (whence  they 
derive  their  name),  but  likewise  in  time  of  persecu- 
tion as  a  hiding-place  for  Christians.  Wonderful 
places  are  these  !  We  have  seen  and  often  explored 
the  cemetery  of  Priscilla,  lately  discovered  and 
cleared  on  the  Salarian  Way,  at  the  third  mile- 
stone from  the  city.  This,  from  its  extent,  and  its 
many  various  paths,  I  call  by  no  more  appropriate 
name  than  a  subterranean  city.  From  the  entrance 
onward  opens  out  a  principal  street,  wider  than  the 
i*est.  Others  diverge  from  it  at  frequent  intervals; 
these  again  are  separated  off  into  narrower  ways 
and  blind  alleys.  Moreover,  as  is  the  case  in  cities, 
broader  spaces  open  out  in  particular  spots,  each 
like  a  kind  of  forum,  for  holding  the  sacred  assem- 
blies ;  these  are  adorned  with  images  of  the  saints. 

*  3facfarlane,  p.  60. 


52  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

Apertures  have  likewise  been  pierced  (though  now 
blocked  up),  for  receiving  the  light  from  above. 
The  city  was  amazed  at  discovering  that  she  had  in 
her  suburbs  long-concealed  towns,  now  filled  only 
with  sepulchres,  but  once  Christian  colonies  in  days 
of  persecution;  and  she  then  more  fully  understood 
what  was  read  in  documents,  or  seen  in  other  ceme- 
teries partially  laid  open.  From  what  she  had  read 
of  these  places  in  St.  Jerome,  or  in  Prudentius,  she 
gazed  upon  them  with  lively  astonishment  when 
she  beheld  them  with  her  own  eyes."* 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  visit  of  Thomas 
Cole,  the  artist,  to  the  Catacombs  of  St.  Agnes.  In 
his  recently  published  works,  we  find  the  following 
account  —  unfortunately  all  that  he  has  left — of 
this  interesting  passage  in  his  life  : — ■ 

"I  have  seen  that  to-day,  which  will  be  a  lasting 
subject  of  thought  —  which  has  made  an  impression 
on  my  mind  that  can  never  be  effaced — the  Cata- 
combs of  St.  Agnes.     I  went  in  the  company  of  Mr. 

Greene,  the  consul,  Mr.  G ,  Mr.  P ,  and  the 

padre,  who  has  the  charge  of  the  excavations,  and 
has  made  a  plan  of  the  subterranean  labyrinth. 
The  sky  was  cloudless,  and  before  we  entered  the 
gloomy  regions  of  the  dead,  we  stood  for  some  time 
in  the  vineyard,  gazing  at  the  mountains  that  rise 
around  the  Campagna  di  Roma.  The  entrance, 
about  two  miles  out  of  the  Porta  Pia,  is  by  a  flight 
of  steps,  partly  antique,  I  believe.  At  the  bottom, 
we  found  ourselves  in  a  narrow  passage  cut  in  they 
tufa  rock.  On  either  hand  were  excavations  in  the 
walls,  of  various   dimensions,  which   contain  the 

*  Ad.  an.,  130. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE    CATACOMBS.  63 

bones  of  the  early  Christians.  For  two  hours,  we 
wandered  in  these  gloomy  regions.  Now  and  then 
we  came  to  a  chapel.  The  passages  were,  in  gen- 
eral, about  six  feet  wide,  and  from  five  to  twelve 
high,  arched,  and  sometimes  plastered.  The  cells 
are  in  tiers,  one  above  another.  Many  of  them 
were  open,  and  disclosed  the  mouldering  bones  of 
those  who  nourished  in  the  first  centuries  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Others  were  closed  by  tiles,  or 
slabs  of  marble  with  cement,  which  appeared  with 
the  impressions  of  the  trowel  as  fresh  as  yesterday. 
Here  were  the  remains  of  the  early  martyrs  of 
Christianity.  You  know  them  by  the  small  lamp, 
and  the  little  phial  or  vase  which  once  contained 
some  of  their  blood.  These  vessels  were  inserted 
in  the  cement  that  sealed  up  their  graves.  Impres- 
sions of  coins  and  medals,  the  date  of  the  inter- 
ment, are  also  to  be  seen  in  the  cement,  with  in- 
scriptions marked  with  the  point  of  the  trowel, 
usually  the  name  of  the  individual,  with  the  words, 
1  in  pacej'  or  '  dormit  in  pace.'  What  pictures  can 
not  the  imagination  paint  here !  Yet  nothing  so 
impressive  as  the  reality ;  scenes  where  Christian 
hope  triumphed  over  affliction;  where  the  cere- 
monies of  their  holy  religion  were  performed  far 
from  the  light  of  day.  The  chapels  are  generally 
ornamented  with  pictures,  some  of  which  are  in 
good  preservation.  They  are  rudely  executed,  but 
with  some  spirit  One  picture  represented  Moses 
striking  the  rock  ;  another,  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den  ; 
another,  the  three  holy  children  in  the  lire  ;  and  still 
another,  the  Virgin  Mary.  There  were  several  pic- 
tures which  represented  bishops  or  priests — men 


54  THE    CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

in  clerical  robes.  Occasionally  the  dripping  of 
the  water  formed  stalactites  upon  the  walls  and 
ceilings.  Some  of  the  bones  were  coated  witlrcal- 
careous  deposite. 

"Some  notion  of  the  extent  of  the  Catacombs 
may  be  formed  from  the  length  of  time  we  were 
walking.  There  were  many  passages  we  did  not 
enter,  and  many  impossible  of  access  from  the  rub- 
bish with  which  they  were  choked  up.  We  came 
into  the  open  air — into  the  light  of  the  glorious 
sun  —  and  again  stood  and  gazed  upon  the  moun- 
tains. There  they  are,  as  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago  ;  they  are  not  changed.  As  they  looked  then, 
they  look  now."* 

Some  of  the  larger  galleries  are  in  height  about 
eight  or  ten  feet,  and  the  width  from  four  to  six, 
but  the  lateral  passages  are  much  more  contracted 
in  their  dimensions.  On  each  side  are  the  graves 
cut  into  the  walls,  either  in  a  straggling  line,  or  in 
tiers  one  above  the  other,  sometimes  amounting 
to  six  in  number.  A  single  glance  at  the  accom- 
panying engraving  (for  which  we  are  indebted  to 
Maitland),  will  give  a  better  idea  of  these  passages 
than  an  elaborate  description. 

We  have  represented,  on  the  opposite  page,  the 
opening  of  one  of  the  larger  galleries.  The  day- 
light is  seen  pouring  in  at  the  mouth  of  the  cav- 
ern, showing  the  rifled,  sepulchres. 

" The  tombs  contain  no  ashes  now; 

The  very  sepulchres  he  tenantless 
Of  tlieir  heroic  dwellers." 

*  Life  and  Works  of  Thomas  Cole,  by  Rev.  L.  L.  Noble,  p.  818. 


56  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

Beneath  the  most  distant  of  these  is  a  square 
hole,  which  once  probably  contained  a  cup.  On 
the  right  is  a  lateral  passage,  blocked  up  to  prevent 
accidents,  so  liable  to  happen  to  those  who  might 
wander  away  and  be  lost  in  these  intricate  windings. 

In  some  places  the  passages  expand  into  the 
apartments  mentioned  by  Baronius,  which  traditions 
state  to  have  been  intended  as  places  of  worship  by 
the  proscribed  and  suffering  followers  of  our  Lord. 
In  one  of  these  little  chapels,  which  tradition  has 
thus  consecrated,  we  saw  still  remaining,  a  simple 
earthen  altar,  and  an  antique  cross  cut  in  the  rock 
above  it.  It  was  with  no  ordinary  feelings  that  we 
stood  on  this  spot  and  looked  on  these  evidences  of 
early  worship.  In  this  gloomy  cavern  the  follow- 
ers of  our  Lord  were  accustomed  to  meet  in  secret 
to  eat  the  bread  of  life,  and  with  bitter  tears  to 
drink  the  water  of  life.  What  solemn  services  must 
this  spot  have  witnessed !  With  what  a  depth  of 
feeling  must  they  have  heard  of  the  Resurrection, 
surrounded  by  the  dead  in  Christ,  and  the  symbols 
of  that  hidden  and  eternal  life  which  lies  beyond 
the  grave !  How  earnest  the  prayers  which  were 
here  poured  forth  by  men,  whose  faith  wras  certain, 
because  they  had  received  it  from  the  lips  of  apos- 
tles themselves,  and  glowed  more  brightly  because 
they  stood  in  jeopardy  every  hour !  These  relics  of 
their  worship  may  perhaps  have  remained  here  un- 
changed, since  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was 
first  uttered  as  a  strange  sound  in  the  neighboring 
city,  and  where  we  were,  men  may  have  bowed  in 
prayer  who  had  themselves  seen  their  Lord  in  the 
flesh.     The  remains  were  around  us  of  those  who 


DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    CATACOMBS.  57 

had  received  the  mightiest  of  all  consecrations, 
that  of  suffering,  and  whose  spirits  were  as  noble 
as  any  who  had  their  proud  monuments  on  the 
Appian  Way,  and  whose  names  are  now  as  "fa- 
miliar in  our  ears  as  household  wrords."  But  no 
historian  registered  the  deeds  of  the  despised  Naz- 
arenes.     They  had  no  poet,  and  they  died. 

"  Careut  quia  vate  sacro." 

A  stone  chair  formerly  stood  in  this  little  chapel, 
but  it  wras  unfortunately  removed  to  Pisa  by  Cosmo 
III.,  of  Tuscany. 

The  earliest  of  these  chapels,  like  the  one  we 
have  just  mentioned,  were  of  the  simplest  form, 
evidently  mere  enlargements  of  the  gallery  into  an 
oblong  or  square  chamber,  often  lined  with  graves 
on  every  side.  Others,  probably  of  later  construc- 
tion, were  more  elevated,  with  a  hole  pierced 
through  to  the  soil  above  for  light  and  air.  Some 
of  these  openings  in  the  roof  are  the  holes  to  which 
we  have  already  referred,  as  scattered  over  the 
Campagna  and  frequently  mentioned  in  the  "Acts 
of  the  Martyrs."  In  one  place,  for  instance,  they 
tell  us  of  Candida,  a  saint  and  virgin,  who  was 
thrown  down  the  light  hole  of  the  crypt  and  over- 
whelmed with  stones. 

"When  the  days  of  persecution  had  passed  and 
these  places  became  objects  of  superstitious  rever- 
ence, the  custom  began  of  ornamenting  these 
chapels  with  architecture  and  more  elaborate  fres- 
co paintings.  We  are  told  that,  before  the  year 
400,  the  tomb  of  Hippolytus  had  been  adorned  with 
Parian  marble  and  precious  metals.  The  roof  was 
3* 


58 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   KOMK. 


extended  and  vaulted,  and  the  skill  of  the  artist  ex- 
hausted in  representing  sacred  subjects  on  the  walls. 
Arringhi  has  numerous  engravings  of  chapels  when 
thus  changed  by  the  taste  of  later  times,  one  of 
which  we  copy,  to  show  at  a  glance  the  wide  dif- 
ference between  their  appearance  and  that  which 
they  bore  in  earlier  days  as  represented  in  the  last 
engraving  we  gave.  In  this  we  have  instances  of 
the  "  arched  monument"  —  a  grave  cut  like  a  sar- 
cophagus from  the  rock  and  an  arch  constructed 
above  it. 


In  one  case,  copied  by  Maitland,  the  sarcopha- 
gus or  case  for  the  body,  at  the  end  of  the  chapel, 
was  separated  from  it  by  a  cancellated  slab  of  mar- 
ble, which  is  now  broken. 

The  largest  of  these  chapels  are  in  the  cemetery 
of  St.  Agnes.  One  of  them,  it  is  estimated,  would 
hold  eighty  persons. 


|TJ5 I V  B  •  • 


The  graves  were  originally  closed  by  a  thin  piece 
of  marble,  often  of  most  irregular  figure,  or  some- 
times by  slabs  of  terra-cotta,  cemented  to  the  rock 
by  plaster.  In  the  subjoined  engravings,  copied 
originally  by  Boldetti,  we  have  a  view  of  two 
graves,  the  first  of  which  is  closed  by  three  pieces 
of  cotta,  while  the  latter  is  partially  opened,  so  that 
the  skeleton  lying  within  can  be  seen.  The  palm 
branch  and  cup  have  been  rudely  scratched  upon  . 
the  stone.  It  was  thus  on  these  slabs,  were  cut  the 
Christian  emblems  which  the  early  followers  of  our 
Lord  so  much  delighted  to  use,  and  there  too  they 
scrawled  the  brief  epitaphs  by  which,  in  that  age 


60 


THK    CATACOMBS    OF    EOMK. 


of  fear  and  persecution,  they  marked  the  resting- 
place  of  the  brethren.  While  everything  around 
speaks  of  suffering,  it  tells  also  of  the  simple  ear- 
nest faith  of  men,  with  whom  the  glories  of  the 
next  world  had  swallowed  up  all  the  pains  of  their 
brief  mortal  pilgrimage. 

Our  guide  pointed  out  to  us,  as  we  passed  along, 
some  tombs  which  had  never  been  opened,  and 
whose  inmates  had  been  left  to  slumber  as  they 
were  laid  to  their  rest  seventeen  centuries  ago. 
There  was  one  the  thin  marble  side  of  which  had 
cracked,  so  that  he  could  insert  a  small  taper.  He 
bade  us  look  in,  and  there  we  saw  the  remains  of 
the  skeleton,  lying  as  it  was  placed  by  its  brethren 


DESCKU'TION    OF    THE    CATACOMBS.  61 

in  the  faith  in  those  early  days  of  persecution  and 
trial.  In  some' passages  are  unfinished  tombs,  which 
the  workmen  never  completed  ;  and,  Boldetti  tells 
us,  he  found  places  where  sepulchres  had  been 
sketched  upon  the  walls,  but  their  excavation  never 
even  begun.  He  states,  too,  that  when  some  were 
opened  for  the  first  time,  in  his  presence,  he  per- 
ceived an  odor  like  that  of  spices.  And  this  is  in 
accordance  with  what  we  know  of  primitive  usages- 
That  the  anointing  of  the  bodies  of  their  friends 
with  "  sweet  spices,"*  to  prepare  them  for  their 
burial,  was  the  custom  of  the  early  Christians,  we 
learn  not  only  from  Scripture,  but  at  a  later  day 
from  Tertullian.  "When  answering  the  objection, 
that  the  new  religion  was  unfavorable  to  commerce, 
he  «ays:  "Is  not  incense  brought  from  a  distance? 
If  Arabia  should  complain,  tell  the  Sabeans  that 
more  of  their  merchandise,  and  that  of  a  more  ex- 
pensive quality,  is  employed  in  burying  Christians 
than  in  fumigating  the  gods."f 

There  is  another  circumstance  connected  with 
these  cemeteries,  which  we  can  not  but  notice.  It 
is  the  fact,  that  Christianity  first  introduced  the 
custom  of  common  burial-places  for  persons  of 
every  grade,  and  connected  with  each  other  only 
by  the  profession  of  the  same  faith.  With  the 
higher  class  of  pagans,  sepulchres  were  appropri- 
ated only  to  the  members  of  the  same  family  —  as 
•the  tomb  of  the  Scipios,  which  still  remains  on  the 

*  Mark,  xvi.,  1. 

f  Apologeticus,  cap.  42.  Arringhi  devotes  an  entire  chapter  to 
this  subject :  "  Cadayera  unguentis,  et  aromatibus  condiuntur." 
Roma  Subterranea,  lib.  i.,  cap.  23. 


62  THE   CATACOMBS    OF  KOME. 

Appian  Way,  not  far  from  St.  Sebastian  —  while 
Horace  speaks  with  undisguised  contempt  of  the 
"  common  sepulchre"  which  was  intended  for  the 
dregs  of  the  people.  Even  the  history  of  each  Jew- 
ish patriarch  generally  concludes  with  the  declara- 
tion—  "He  was  buried  with  his  fathers."  Christi- 
anity first  broke  down  these  narrow  distinctions — 
introduced  a  nobler  relationship  than  that  of  blood 
— taught  that  in  Christ  Jesus  all  are  one ;  and  here 
we  find  them  sleeping  side  by  side,  old  men  and 
children,  young  men  and  maidens,  all  claiming 
brotherhood  to  each  other  only  in  the  Church  of 
their  Lord.  See  how  in  the  two  inscriptions, 
which  follow,  the  extremes  of  life  are  brought  to- 
gether. The  Latinity  in  the  first  is  so  barbarous  as 
to  be  hardly  intelligible,  but  we  give  a  fac-simile 
to  show  what  it  is.  The  epitaph  is  now  on  the 
wall  of  the  Lapidarian  Gallery. 

X 

A\RTU  R  U  S 
UIXLTA/Vl/D/V 

XCIELEXITD 

O/WMVll/SINPACE 

"  Martyrius  vixit  annos  XCI 
Elexit  domum  vivus.     In  pace. 
"In  Christ,  Martyrius  lived  ninety-one  years. 
He  chose  this  spot  during  his  life.     In  peace." 


DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    CATACOMBS.  63 

Then  follows  one  on  an  infant  of  a  few  months — 

JZJSAN ON    QVI  VIXII  MEN 
SES  AteJII    NON   OCT 


It  is  impossible  to  form  any  idea  of  the  numbers 
who  are  interred  in  these  Catacombs.  The  earliest 
date  which  has  been  verified,  is  in  the  time  of  Ves- 
pasian, that  is,  not  forty  years  after  the  crucifixion. 

VCVESPASIANO  III  COS  IAN. 

There  is  another  epitaph  of  the  same  period  on  an 
architect,  who,  after  having  been  in  the  service  of 
the  Emperor  Yespasian,  was  put  to  death  by  his 
order  on  account  of  his  belief  in  Christianity.* 
The  earliest  Consular  date  is  of  the  year  98.  An- 
other refers  to  the  consulship  of  Surra  and  Senecio, 
which  was  in  the  year  107 : — 

N  XXX  SVRRA  ET  SENEC.  COSS. 

It  is  an  inscription  rudely  scratched  on  the  mortar 
which  overspreads  the  mouth  of  the  niche,  f  There 
probably,  however,  are  many  slumbering  around 
who  were  interred  long  before  these  periods.  But 
from  the  time  that  these  passages  were  first  used 
for  this  purpose,  till  after  the  year  400,  we  know 
that  the  whole  Christian  population  of  Rome  found 
here  their  burial-place.  At  an  early  period  the 
number  of  Christians  was  so  great  in  Rome,  as  to 
give  rise  to  complaints  that  the  shrines  and  temples 
of  the  gods  were  deserted.     And  yet  the  Imperial 

*  Bock's  Hierurgia,  vol.  ii.,  808.  \  Boldetii,  p.  19. 


64:  THE    CATACOMBS    OF    ROME. 

city  at  this  time  was  peopled  by  more  than  one 
million  of  inhabitants.  We  can  judge,  therefore, 
how  numerous  must  have  been  the  Christians,  and 
of  course  the  interments,  in  a  city  which  was  open 
to  such  a  charge.  And  it  was  more  than  a  century 
before  these  cemeteries  were  disused  for  this  pur- 
pose, that  Constantine  avowed  the  Christian  faith, 
from  which  day  we  know  that  the  number  of  its 
open  disciples  was  necessarily  very  much  increased. 
In  times,  too,  of  persecution,  multitudes  were  at 
once  hurried  to  their  long  home.  A  single  extract 
from  Prudentius,  in  his  hymn,  thus  sets  forth  the 
fact  most  clearly,  as  he  describes  the  appearance 
of  the  Catacombs  in  his  day  : — 

"Innumeros  cineres  sanctorum  Romula  in  urbe 
Vidimus,  O  Christi  Valeriane  sacer. 
Ineisos  tumulis  titulos,  et  singula  quaeris 
Nomina?  difficile  est  ut  replicare  queam. 
Tantos  justorum  populos  furor  impius  hausit, 
Quam  coleret  patrios  Troja  Roma  deos. 
Plurima  Htterulis  signata  sepulchra  loquuntur 
Martyris  aut  nomen,  aut  epigramma  aliquod. 
Sunt  et  muta  tamen  tacitas  claudentia  tumbas 
Marmora,  quse  solum  significant  numerum. 
Quanta  virum  jaceant  congestis  corpora  acervis, 
Nosse  licet,  quorum  nomina  nulla  legas? 
Sexaginta  illic,  defossas  mole  sub  una, 
Reliquias  memini  mc  didicesse  hominum  : 
Quorum  solus  habet  comperta  vocabula  Christus.* 

"Around  the  walls  where  Romulus  once  reigned, 
We  see,  Valerian,  countless  relics  of  the  saints. 
You  ask,  What  epitaphs  are  graven  on  these  tombs? 
The  names  of  those  who  there  are  laid  to  rest? 
A  question  difficult  for  me  to  answer  1 
For  in  the  olden  times  of  heathen  rage, 

*  Peristephanon  :  Hymn  xi. 


DESCRIPTION    OF   THE   CATACOMBS.  65 

"  So  great  a  Christian  host  was  swept  away, 
When  Rome  would  have  her  country's  gods  adored. 
Yet  in  some  martyr's  sepulchre  his  name  is  seen, 
Or  else  some  anagram  his  friends  have  carved. 
There  too  are  silent  tombs  which  fiumb  stones  close, 
Telling  us  nothing  but  the  number  buried  there. 
And  thus  we  know  how  many  rest  below, 
Though  names  and  appellations  all  are  lost. 
Beneath  one  single  mount  some  sixty  lie, 
Though  Christ  alone  has  kept  the  record  of  these  names, 
As  being  those  of  his  peculiar  friends." 

Thus  it  is  that  now,  as  we  stand  in  these  passages, 
we  feel  that  around  us  is  a  "  multitude  which  no 
man  can  number."  Little  do  the  dwellers  in  mod- 
ern Rome  think,  that  for  every  one  who  treads  their 
streets,  there  are  hundreds  sleeping  in  those  gloomy 
caverns,  which  everywhere  surround  the  Eternal 
city  and  perforate  the  very  soil  on  which  it  stands. 
Yet  so  it  is.  The  ground  has  been  drunk  with  the 
blood  of  martyrs,  and  the  earth  on  which  we  tread 
is  rich  with  the  garnered  dust  of  countless  saints 
whose  record  has  utterly  perished  from  the  land 
which  was  once  hallowed  by  their  footsteps. 

" All  that  tread 

The  earth  are  but  a  handful  to  the  tribes 
That  slumber  in  its  bosom." 


IV. 


INSCRIPTIONS  IN  THE  CATACOMBS. 


IV. 

THE   INSCRIPTIONS   IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 

There  is  an  old  Arabian  fable,  of  a  city  whose 
inhabitants  at  once  were  turned  to  stone.  The 
maiden  at  the  fountain,  the  guest  in  the  hall,  the 
listless  wanderer  in  the  streets,  all  were  arrested 
without  a  moment's  warning,  and  in  the  posture  in 
which  the  stroke  found  them,  were  transmuted  at 
once  into  marble  statues.  And  there  the  city  stood 
in  the  desert,  with  the  stillness  of  the  grave  resting 
on  it,  everything  unchanged,  as  age  after  age  swept 
over  it.  At  last  came  a  chance  traveller,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  centuries  its  deserted  streets  echoed 
to  the  tread  of  human  footsteps,  as  he  wandered  on 
through  palace,  and  temple,  and  hall,  with  none  to 
answer  his  summons  —  none  to  oppose  his  entrance 
— gazing  in  wronder  on  the  memorials  of  generations 
which  had  lived  ages  before,  to  the  possession  of 
which  none  had  succeeded,  and,  therefore,  they  had 
remained  unaltered. 

In  our  day,  the  deserted  cities  of  Herculaneum 
and  Pompeii  almost  furnish  a  reality  to  this  fable. 
There,  we  are  at  once  transported  back  to  the  first 


70  THE    CATACOMBS  ,OF    ROME. 

century  of  the  Christian  era.  We  enter  houses 
which  it  seems  as  if  the  lordly  Roman  had  but  just 
quitted.  His  paintings,  and  statues,  and  manuscripts 
are  about  us.  The  sentinel  still  stands  at  the  post 
he  dared  not  leave,  even  when  the  burning  cinders 
were  raining  about  him,  and  the  skeleton  rattles 
hollow  in  his  armor,  the  strigil  lies  on  the  pavement 
of  the  bath,  as  the  frightened  slave  dropped  it, 
when  lie  fled,  and  in  the  bedroom  is  the  rouge  with 
which  the  faded  beauty  of  Pompeii  once  restored 
her  charms.  We  see,  on  all  sides  of  us,  the  charac- 
ter of  that  now  forgotten  civilization,  which  spread 
its  charm  over  these  gay  Campanian  cities.  The 
"  great  gulf,"  which  separates  us  from  the  clays  of 
Pliny,  is  bridged  over.  The  intervening  ages  are 
forgotten.  We  live  among  those  who  for  nearly 
eighteen  centuries  have  been  dust — we  understand 
each  arrangement  of  their  domestic  life  —  and  it"  re- 
quires an  effort  to  recall  our  minds  to  the  realities 
of  the  living  present. 

What  these  long  buried  cities  display  to  us  of 
the  social  condition  of  the  ancients,  the  Catacombs 
reveal  with  regard  to  the  Church  of  that  <1;n\ 
While  we  often  read,  in  the  remains  of  Pompeii,  a 
commentary  on  the  lines  of  Juvenal  or  Horace,  in 
the  inscriptions  which  mark  the  tombs  of  the  early 
Christians,  we  find  a  confirmation  of  much  that  was 
written  by  the  Fathers  of  the  first  three  centuries. 
The  same  spirit  pervades  these  records  graven  in 
the  rock,  and  the  earnest  words  which  those  leaders 
of  the  Church  sent  forth  to  cheer  their  converts  in 
the  faith.     The  two  harmonize  in  tone,  and  remain 


THE    INSCRIPTIONS   IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  71 

x 

to  rebuke  the  changes  which  after-ages  gradually 
brought  about. 

But  few  of  the  inscriptions  now  remain  in  the 
accessible  parts  of  the  Catacombs.  Some  years 
ago,  most  of  them  were  removed  to  a  hall  in  the 
Vatican,  which  from  its  containing  little  besides 
sepulchral  stones,  is  called  the  Zapidarian,  or  delle 
lapidi.  The  side  of  this  long  corridor  is  completely 
lined  with  them,  fastened  against  the  wall  to  the 
number  of  more  than  three  thousand.  •  The  letters 
on  the  Christian  monuments  are  generally  cut  into 
the  stone,  and  are  from  half  an  inch  to  four  inches, 
in  height.  On  some  of  them,  the  incision  is  colored 
with  a  pigment,  resembling  Venitian  red.  It  is  to 
these  inscriptions  in  the  stone  that  Prudentius 
refers,  when  in  his  hymn  in  honor  of  the  eighteen 
martyrs  of  Saragossa,  he  speaks  of  washing  with 
pious  tears  the  furrows  in  the  marble  tablets  erected 
to  them : — 

"Nos  pio  fletu,  perluamus 
Marmorum  buIcos ." 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  same  hall  are  fastened 
the  monumental  inscriptions  of  pagan  Home,  gath- 
ered from  the  ruins  of  the  surrounding  city.  We 
turn  to  them,  and  we  have  before  us  the  fragment- 
ary records  of  Kome  in  her  most  glorious  days. 
We  see  the  epitaphs  of  those  whose  deeds  made 
her  history,  and  who  endeavored  thus,  by  the  en- 
during marble,  to  record  their  protest  against  the 
influence  of  "Time's  effacing  finger/'  And  beside 
these  are  votive  tablets,  dedications  of  altars,  frag- 
ments of  edicts  and  public  documents,  all  classed 


72  THE    CATACOMBS    OF  ROME. 

under  the  divisions  of  Greek,  Latin,  and  consular 
monuments. 

"I  have  spent,"  says  Raoul  Rochette,  "many- 
entire  days  in  this  sanctuary  of  antiquity,  where 
the  sacred  and  profane  stand  facing  each  other,  in 
the  written  monuments  preserved  to  us,  as  in  the 
days  when  paganism  and  Christianity,  striving 
with  all  their  powers,  were  engaged  in  mortal  con- 
flict. *  *  *  And  were  it  only  the  treasure  of  im- 
pressions which  we  receive  from  this  immense  col- 
lection of  Christian  epitaphs,  taken  from  the  graves 
of  the  Catacombs,  and  now  attached  to  the  walls 
of  the  Vatican,  this  alone  would  be  an  inexhausti- 
ble fund  of  recollections  and  enjoyment  for  a  whole 
life."* 

It  is  interesting  to  mark  the  difference  between 
the  two  sides  of  the  gallery.  We  are  at  once  trans- 
ported back  through  eighteen  centuries,  and  see 
before  us  the  wide  social  gulf  which  separated  the 
adherents  of  the  two  religions,  when  Christianity 
first  went  forth  to  challenge  to  itself  the  sway  of 
the  earth.  On  the  pagan  side  we  have  the  pride 
and  pomp  of  life,  when  under  the  old  religion  the 
civil  and  ecclesiastical  states  were  so  closely  en- 
twined together.  There  are  the  lofty  titles  of  Ro- 
man citizenship  —  the  traces  of  complicated  political 
orders,  and  the  funeral  lamentations  over  Rome's 
mightiest  and  best — all  neatly  graven  on  the  mar- 
ble, and  often  in  hexameters  which  will  bear  the 
scrutiny  of  the  scholar.  We  see  everywhere  the 
evidences  of  a  dominant  faith,  secure  in  its  position 
before  the  world,  proud  in  its  authority  and  re- 
sources. 

*  Tableau  des  Catacombcs,  p.  x. 


THE    INSCRIPTIONS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS.  73 

We  turn  to  the  Christian  side  of  the  corridor,  and. 
how  marked  the  contrast !  There  are  the  simple 
records  of  the  poor,  in  accordance  with  no  classical 
rules,  appealing  to  the  feelings  rather  than  to  the 
taste,  to  the  heart  and  not  to  the  head.  An  inco- 
herent sentence,  or  a  straggling,  misspelt  scrawl, 
betray  haste  and  ignorance  in  their  very  execution. 
The  Latin ity  of  these  epitaphs  would  shock  a  cul- 
tivated reader,  the  orthography  is  generally  faulty, 
the  letters  irregular,  and  the  sense  not  always  ob- 
vious. The  first  glance  is  enough  to  show,  that,  as 
St.  Paul  expresses  it,  "  not  many  mighty,  not  many 
noble,"  were  numbered  among  those,  who,  in  the 
first  age  of  our  faith,  were  here  laid  to  their  rest. 
Such  is  the  inscription  : — 


ft  Ac* 


DOMITI 

IN  PACE 

LEA  FECIT. 


Domitius  in  peace.     Lea  erected  this. 

Koughly  carved  upon  the  slab,  over  which  its 
letters  straggle  with  no  attention  to  order,  it  tells 
plainly  that  it  was  placed  there  by  the  members 
of  a  persecuted  and  oppressed  community. 

So,  too,  is  it  with  the  following: — 

Legurius  Successus,  in  peaee. 
4 


74  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   HOME. 


ipcvsfWMi  m 


The  place  of  Primus. 

Or  this,  which  records  the  names  of  three  indi- 
viduals, and  bears  also  the  figure  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd, carrying  a  lamb  : — 


S£Pf)MlNA  ^M^P(W^^1 


Septimina,  Aurelius,  Galymenes. 

"We  give  the  fac-simile  of  another,  where  the  old 
heathen  formula,  D.  M.,  which  they  used  for  divis 
manibus,  it  has  been  argued,  was  retained  with  a 
Christian  meaning  as  applied  to  our  Lord,  and  is  to 
be  interpreted  Deo  Maximo  : — 

D     M     f    5 

VITAUS  DEroSiTADlAES/BATVKlAVtf  0 


£K 


Sacred  to  Christ,  the  Supreme  God. 
Vitalis,  buried  on  Saturday,  Kalends  of  August.     She  lived  twenty- 
five  years  and  three  months.     She  lived  with  her  husband,  ten 
years  and  thirty  days.     In  Christ,  the  First  and  the  Last 


THE   INSCRIPTIONS    IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 


75 


There  is,  too,  a  simplicity  in  most  of  these  in- 
scriptions which  does  not  mark  the  monuments  of 
their  adversaries.  It  is  seen  even  in  the  names. 
While  those  of  the  Romans  consisted  of  several 
parts,  as  "  Aurelius  Felix,"  "  Quintus  Mediolus," 
or  "Victor  Septimus  Severus,"  but  a  single  one 
generally  was  inscribed  on  the  resting-place  of  the 
Christian.  This  may  have  happened  partly  from 
the  fact  that  the  latter  in  the  obscurity  of  his  social 
position,  had  but  one  by  which  to  be  designated ; 
but  may  he  not,  also,  sometimes  from  choice  have 
confined  himself  to  that  which  he  received  at  his 
baptism  ?  With  him  it  was  often  a  matter  of  prin- 
ciple to  drop  all  that  pertained  to  the  distinctions 
of  this  world,  and  voluntarily  to  abase  himself,  that 
he  might  be  more  like  his  IBaster.  Such,  for  in- 
stance, are  the  following : — 


FLO  KENT/ 


Florentius,  in 


peace. 


V ±A^> 


Casta. 


76 


THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


Januarius. 


Such,  too,  is  the  case  with  the  broken  tomb,  a 
drawing  of  which  is  found  in  D'Agincourt.  The 
view  is  the  more  striking,  because  when  copied  by 
him,  the  dust  was  still  lying  in  it,  resembling  the 
shadow  of  a  skeleton : — 


Valeria  sleeps  in  peace. 

But  it  is  in  the  spirit  of  these  inscriptions  that  we 
chiefly  mark  the  contrast  of  our  faith  with  that  old 
and  effete  religion  which  it  supplanted.  No  hope  be- 
yond the  grave  sheds  its  light  over  the  pagan  mon- 
uments. The  expression,  "DOMYS  ETERNALIS, 
An  eternal  home,"  constantly  appears.  It  is  thus 
that  the  despair  of  a  mother  for  her  infant  child  is 
shown  in  one  of  the  inscriptions  of  the  Lapidarian 
Gallery : — 


THE    INSCRIPTIONS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS.  77 

ATROX  0  FORTVNA  TRVCI  QVAE  FVNERE  CAVDES 
QV1D  MIHI.TAM  SVBITO  MAXIM VS  ERIPITVR. 

O  relentlessiFortune,  who  delightest  in  cruel  death, 
Why  is  Maximus  so  early  snatched  from  me  ? 

Even  the  noble  philosophy  of  Greece  appears  to 
have  left  no  trace  in  these  epitaphs,  nor  do  the 
glorious  dreams  of  Plato,  as  he  argued  on  the  very- 
verge  of  truth,  seem   to   have  dawned   upon   the 
minds  of  those  who,  in* the  Imperial  city,  thus  laid 
the  loved  and  lost  in  the  tomb.     A  gloomy  stoicism 
—  a  forced  resignation  —  is  the  highest  feeling  we 
can  discover.     They  turn  to  the  life  which  is  past, 
only  with  Epicurean  regret  that  its  pleasures  can 
be   enjoyed  no   longer.      Take,   for  instance,  the 
Anacreontic  language  in  the  following : — 
D-M 
TI  •  OLAVDI  •  SECVNDI 
HIC  •  SECVM  •  HABET  •  OMNIA 
BALNEA  •  VINVN  -VENVS 
CORRVMPVNT  ■  CORPORA- 
NOSTRA  •  SED  •  VITAM  FACIVNT 
B-V-V- 

To  the  Divine  Manes  of  Titus  Claudius  Secundus,  who  lived  57 
years.  Here  he  enjoys  everything.  Baths,  wine,  and  love,  ruin 
our  constitutions,  but — they  make  life  what  it  is.  Farewell,  fare- 
well." 

So  in  this,  wThere  life  is  looked  upon  as  a  play : — 

VIXI  •  DVM  •  VIXI  •  BENE  •  JAM  •  ME  A 
PERACTA  •  MOX  •  VESTRA  •  AGETVR 
FABVLA  •  VALETE  •  ET  -PLAVDITE. 
V-A-N-LVII. 

"While  I  lived,  I  lived  well.  My  play  is  now  ended,  soon  yours 
will  be.     Farewell,  and  applaud  me. 

But  nowhere  can  we  trace  anything  but  calmness 


78  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   EOME. 

and  peace  in  the  inscriptions  of  the  early  Christians. 
Brief  as  they  may  be,  they  yet  evidently  look  to  a 
life  beyond  life.  "We  see  how  immediate  was  the 
elevating  influence  of  the  new  creed.  Nothing, 
indeed,  which  is  gloomy  or  painful  finds  a  place 
among  these  -records  of  the  martyrs.  They  evi- 
dently laid  the  athlete  of  Christ  to  his  rest,  without 
any  sorrow  that  his  fight  was  over,  or  any  expres- 
sion of  vengeance  against  those  who  doomed  him 
to  death.  They  thought  too  much  of  his  celestial 
recompense  to  associate  with  it  the  tortures  and 
evils  of  this  lower  life.  A  light  had  risen  to  dispel 
the  horror  of  darkness  which  had  hitherto  reigned 
over  the  grave ;  and  while  the  first  disciples  had 
before  them*a  view  of  the  Eternal  city,  it  is  no 
wonder  they  were  willing  even  to  rush  through  the 
gate  of  martyrdom,  that  they  might  enter  the  star- 
ry portals.  Death  was  to  them  like  sinking  to  a 
gentle  slumber ;  and  often  this  is  the  only  idea  ex- 
pressed in  their  short  epitaphs : — 

DORMITIO  ELPIDia 

The  sleeping  place  of  Elpis. 

VICTORINA  DORMIT. 

Victorina  sleeps. 

ZOTICVS  HIC  AD  DORMIENDVM. 

Zoticus  laid  here  to  sleep. 

Or  the  following,  of  which  we  give  a  copy : — 

CEHU-ADORIT 


W/C. 


Gemella  sleeps  in  peace. 


THE    INSCRIPTIONS    IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  79 

Frequently,  too,  we  find  the  inscription  : — 
IN  PACE  DOMINI  DORMIT. 
He  sleeps  in  the  peace  of  the  Lord. 

Sometimes,  too,  they  expressed  still  more  fully 
their  disbelief  in  the  chilling  doctrine  of  the  anni- 
hilation of  the  soul,  taught  by  paganism,  or  the 
almost  equally  cheerless  picture  of  an  uncertain 
Elysium,  which  was  the  utmost  that  creed  could 
impart  to  them.  Thus,  in  a  portion  of  the  epitaph 
which  Placus  recorded  above  his  wife  Albania,  he 
says : — 

RELICTIS  TVIS  IACES  IN  PACE  SOPORE 

MERITA  RESVRGIS  TEMPORALIS  TIBI  DATA 

REQVETIO. 

You,  well-deserving  one,  having  left  your  [relations],  lie  in 
peace  —  in  sleep.     You  will  arise;  a  temporary  rest  is  granted  yon. 

The  absence,  indeed,  of  every  feeling  but  those 
of  trust  and  hope,  is  most  remarkable  in  these  epi- 
taphs. No  word  of  bitterness  is  breathed  even 
against  their  persecutors,  by  whom  their  brethren 
had  been  doomed  to  death.  Succeeding  genera- 
tions relied  upon  distinguishing  the  tombs  of  the 
martyrs,  more  by  the  emblems  placed  over  them, 
uncertain  as  this  test  was,  than  by  the  words  of  the 
inscriptions.  In  very  few'  cases  is  the  manner  of 
their  death  mentioned.  We  believe  there  is  but  a 
single  instance  of  one  picturing  martyrdom  to  the 
eye,  and  that  is  the  representation  of  a  man  torn 
in  pieces  by  wild  beasts.  "To  look  at  the  Cata- 
combs alone,"  says  Eochette,  "it  might  be  sup- 
posed that  persecution  had  there  no  victims,  since 
Christianity   has  made  no  allusion  to  suffering." 


80  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

And  then  he  goes  on  to  contrast  this  spirit  with 
that  displayed  in  the  adornment  of  some  of  the 
modern  churches  of  Borne :  "  Perhaps  I  may  be 
allowed  to  add,  that  a  series  of  paintings,  like  those 
of  St.  Stefano  in  Rotundo  [a  church  in  Rome], 
filled  with  all  the  scenes  of  barbarity  which  the 
rage  of  executioners  conld  devise,  or  the  constancy 
of  martyrs  support,  honors  less  the  faith  which  in- 
spires such  images,  or  which  resisted  such  trials, 
than  the  paintings  of  the  Catacombs,  generally  so 
pure,  so  peaceful  in  their  object  and  intention, 
where  it  seems  that  the  gospel  ought  to  have  met 
with  no  enemies,  appearing  so  gentle,  so  ready  to 
forgive."* 

So  also  another  modern  writer  who  has  studied 
the  subject  with  profound  attention,  says:  "The 
Catacombs  destined  for  the  sepulture  of  the  primi- 
tive Christians,  for  a  long  time  peopled  with  mar- 
tyrs, ornamented  during  times  of  persecution,  and 
under  the  dominion  of  melancholy  thoughts  and 
painful  duties,  nevertheless  everywhere  represent 
in  all  the  historic  parts  of  these  paintings  only 
what  is  noble  and  exalted  (des  traits  heroiques), 
and  in  that  which  constitutes  the  purely  decorative 
part,  only  pleasing  and  graceful  subjects,  the  im- 
ages of  the  Good  Shepherd,  representations  of  the 
vintage,  of  the  Agape,  with  pastoral  scenes ;  the 
symbols  are  fruits,  flowers,  palms,  crowns,  lambs, 
doves ;  in  a  word,  nothing  but  what  excites  emo- 
tions of  jo}%  innocence,  and  charity.  Entirely  oc- 
cupied with  the  celestial  recompense  which  awaited 
them  after  the  trials  of  their  troubled  life,  and  often 

*  Tableau  dcs  Catacombs,  \\  194.    This  work  is  interdicted  in  Rome. 


THE   INSCRIPTIONS    IN   THE    CATACOMBS.  81 

of  so  dreadful  a  death,  the  Christians  saw  in  death, 
and  even  in  execution,  only  a  way  by  which  they 
arrived  at  this  everlasting  happiness  ;  and  far  from 
associating  with  this  image  that  of  the  tortures  or 
privations  which  opened  Heaven  before  them,  they 
took  pleasure  in  enlivening  it  with  smiling  colors, 
or  presenting  it  under  agreeable  symbols,  adorning 
it  with  flowers  and  vine-leaves ;  for  it  is  thus  that 
the  asylum  of  death  appears  to  us  in  the  Christian 
Catacombs.  There  is  no.  sign  of  mourning,  no 
token  of  resentment,  no  expression  of  vengeance ; 
all  breathes  softness,  benevolence,  charity."* 

The  only  case  in  which  anything  like  denun- 
ciation is  found,  is  where  it  is  directed  against 
those  who  should  violate  the  sanctity  of  the  grave. 
To  the  early  Christians,  even  this  frail  tabernacle 
had  acquired  a  higher  value  and  dignity,  when 
they  learned  the  lesson  of  the  resurrection,  and 
that  it  was  this  mortal  which  hereafter  was  to 
"  put  on  immortality."  Precious  in  their  eyes, 
therefore,  became  the  remains  of  the  saints.  They 
could  not  burn  them  upon  the  funeral-pile,  nor 
would  they  gather  them  into  an  unmeaning  urn, 
for  they  felt  that  these  lifeless  relics  had  been  con- 
secrated to  the  Lord,  and  were  now  to  be  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Angel  of  the  Resurrection  until  tK* 
end  of  all  things.  Therefore  it  was,  that  somewhat 
in  the  spirit  of  the  Hebrew  Psalms,  in  inscriptions 
-like  the  following  (Arringhi,  lib.  iv.,  cap.  xxvii.), 
they  recorded  their  curse  against  any  who  should 
disturb  the  rest  of  that  body  which  was  one  day  to 
be  united  again  to  its  spiritual  partner : — 

*  D'Agincourt :  Hist,  de  VArt. 

4* 


82  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   KOME. 

MALE  PEREAT  INSEPVLTVS 

JACEAT  NON  RESVRGAT 

CVM  JVDA  PARTEM  HABEAT 

SI  QVIS  SEPVLCHRVM  HVNC 

VIOLAVERIT. 

If  any  one  shall  violate  this  sepulchre, 

Let  him  perish  miserably,  and  remain  unburied; 

Let  him  lie  down,  and  not  rise  again ; 

Let  his  portion  be  with  Judas. 

!Nor  was  the  tone  of  these  epitaphs  changed 
when  the  days  of  persecution  passed  away,  and  the 
members  of  the  Church  were  no  longer  obliged  to 
conceal  their  sacred  rites  "in  dens  and  caves' of 
the  earth."  No  words  of  gratulation  mark  the  in- 
scriptions they  recorded.  They  seemed  in  those 
solemn  places  to  heed  the  world  as  little  when  it 
smiled  upon  them,  as  they  did  when  suffering  from 
its  enmity.  The  Church  was  a  little  elated  by  tri- 
umph, as  before  it  had  been  depressed  by  adversity. 

But  how  do  these  things  seem  to  bring  us  back 
to  the  best  and  purest  days  of  our  faith  !  In  these 
dark  caverns,  surrounded  by  the  mouldering  re- 
mains of  those,  of  whom  in  this  life  the  world  knew 
not,  we  feel  there  is  a  spirit  lingering,  which  par- 
takes more  of  Heaven  than  of  earth.  We  have,  in 
the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  compared  this  city 
of  the  Dead  to  the  recovered  relics  of  Pompeii ;  yet 
how  wide  the  interval  of  interest  which  separates 
the  two!  The  ruined  streets  of  the  pagan  city 
have  been  once  more  opened,  and  again  the  sun 
shines  on  its  vacant  homes ;  yet  as  we  tread  where 
once  gathered  thousands  "lived  and  moved  and 
had  their  being,"  what  other  sentiment  is  gratified 


THE   INSCRIPTIONS   IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  83 

but  that  of  curiosity  ?  Everything  is  "  of  the  earth, 
earthy;"  we  see  nothing  but  what  relates  to  this 
material  life,  and  we  learn  no  lesson  but  that  of  the 
fearful  profligacy  of  these  bright  Campanian  cities. 
Eut  amid  the  darkness  of  the  Catacombs,  we  are 
reminded  of  that  spiritual  day  which  shone  upon 
those  who  there  made  their  home,  and  which  now 
speaks  out  from  the  inscriptions  on  their  graves. 
It  is  not  alone  a  place  of  gloom  and  desolation.  It 
reminds  us  not  even  primarily  of  death.  Its  dom- 
inant sentiment  is  that  of  immortality.  From  the 
distant  past — from  their  rock-hewn  tombs — we 
hear  the  voice  of  the  buried  martyrs,  calling  on  us 
to  rejoice  and  hope,  because  the  darkness  has 
rolled  away  from  the  sepulchre,  and  Christ  has 
become  to  us,  as  He  was  to  them,  the  Resurrec- 
tion and  the  Life. 


THE  MARTYRS  OF  THE  CATACOMBS. 


7  2  E  :■:  T  Y) 


THE   MAETTES    OF   THE   CATACOMBS. 

The  places  in  the  Catacombs  which  the  members 
of  the  early  Church  regarded  as  invested  with  a 
peculiar  consecration,  were  the  graves  of  the  mar- 
tyrs. "  The  noble  army  of  martyrs,  praise  Thee," 
was  early  chanted  in  the  Church  at  Milan;  and  in 
accordance  with  its  spirit,  the  followers  of  our  Loed 
have  paid  their  highest  honors  to  those  who,  in  this 
warfare  of  faith,  led  the  forlorn  hope,  and  fell  vic- 
torious. In  these  days  of  coldness,  indeed,  we  are 
startled  as  we  read  the  glowing  accounts  of  the 
early  martyrologists.  They  love  to  exhibit  the  suf- 
ferer as  sustained  by  a  lofty  enthusiasm,  which 
rendered  him  almost  insensible  to  pain  —  as  being 
engaged  in  a  conflict,  in  which  he  and  the  execu- 
tioner were  the  combatants  —  "hinc  martyr,  illinc 
carnifex,"  as  Prudentius  expresses  it.  In  his  own 
dissolving  powers,  the  martyr  recognised  the  pledge 
of  his  victory.  No  group,  indeed,  of  Oceanides 
were  there  to  console  the  Christian  Prometheus ; 
yet  to  his  upturned  eye,  countless  angels  were  visi- 
ble—  their  anthem  swept  sweetly.,  and  solemnly  to 


88  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

his  ear — and  the  odors  of  an  opening  Paradise 
filled  the  air.  Though  the  dull  ear  of  sense  heard 
nothing,  he  could  listen  to  the  invisible  Coryphaeus, 
as  he  invited  him  to  Heaven,  and  promised  him  an 
Eternal  crown. 

It  is  in  this  spirit  that  Prudentius — to  whom  be- 
longs the  honor,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  cen- 
tury, of  introducing  poetry  into  the  literature  of 
religion* — makes  his  hero  exclaim  : — 

Erras  cruente,  si  meam 
Te  rere  poenam  sumere, 
Quum  membra  morti  obnoxia 
Dilancinata  interficis. 

Est  alter,  est  intrinsecus, 
Violare  quem  nullus  potest, 
Liber,  quietus,  integer, 
Exsors  dolorum  tristium. 

Hoc,  quod  laboras  perdere 
Tantis  furoris  viribus, 
Vas  est  solutum  ac  fictile 
Quocumque  frangendum  modo. 

*  Aurelius  Prudentius  Clemens  was  born  in  Spain,  in  348.  His 
most  celebrated  work  is  his  book,  Hcpt  THreQavoiv,  "  On  the  Crowns 
of  the  Martyrs."  His  poems  are  valuable,  not  only  for  the  genius 
and  poetic  spirit  they  display,  but  as  exhibiting  also  the  customs 
and  feelings  of  the  Christian  world  at  that  day.  Prudentius,  how- 
ever, wrote  nearly  a  century  too  late.  At  the  beginning  of  the  fifth 
century  (he  did  not  visit  Rome  till  the  year  405),  clouds  were  al- 
ready beginning  to  darken  about  the  pathway  of  the  Church,  and 
we  can  already  find  the  commencement  of  those  errors  which, 
through  the  Middle  Ages,  so  fearfully  perverted  the  faith.  All 
these  are  described  by  Prudentius  with  graphic  fidelity,  and  we 
therefore  turn  to  him  as  a  witness  for  the  opinions  of  the  Church, 
when  her  early  purity  was  fading  away,  and  not  as  giving  us  a  pic- 
ture of  what  she  was  in  her  first  and  best  days. 


THE   MARTYKS    OF   THE   CATACOMBS.  89 

Tear  as  you  will  this  mangled  frame, 

Prone  to  mortality ; 
But,  think  not  man  of  blood,  to  tame 

Or  take  revenge  on   me. 

You  overlook,  in  thus  supposing, 
The  nobler  self  that  dwells  within  ; 

Throughout  these  cruel  scenes  reposing, 
"Where  naught  that  injures  enterB  in. 

This,  which  you  labor  to  destroy 
With  so  much  madness,  so  much  rage, 

Is  but  a  vessel  formed  of  clay, 

Brittle,  and  hastening  to  decay. 

Let  nobler  foes  your  arms  employ; 

Subdue  the  indomitable  soul; 
Which,  when  fierce  whirlwinds  rend  the  sky, 
Looks  on   in  calm  security, 
And  only  bows  to  God's  control. 

Again,  in  another  passage  —  for  we  can  not  for- 
bear making  a  few  extracts  from  one  so  little  known, 
yet  so  admirable  an  exponent  of  the  spirit  of  the 
age  in  which  he  lived  —  when  describing  the  Pro- 
consular records  of  the  execution  of  Komanus,  he 
takes  occasion  to  compare  them  with  the  eternal 
records  kept  by  Christ,  commemorative  of  his  ser- 
vants' sufferings. 

Illas  sed  setas  conficit  diutina, 
Uligo  fuscat,  pulvis  obducit  situ, 
Carpit  senectus,  aut  ruinis  obruit; 
Inscripta  Christo  pagina  immortalis  est, 
Nee  obsolescit  uflus  in  coelis  apex. 
Excepit  adstans  angelus  corum  Deo, 
Et  quae  locutus  martyr,  et  quae  pertulit: 
Nee  verba  sojum  disserentis  condid't, 
Sed  ipsa  pingens  vulnera  expressit  stilo, 
Laterum,  genarum,  pectorisque,  et  faucium. 
Omnis  notata  est  sanguinis*  dimensio, 


90  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

Ut  quanquam  plagatn  sulcus  exaraverit, 
Altam,  patentem,  proximam,  longam,  brevera, 
Qua?  vis  doloris,  quive  segmenti  modus: 
Guttam  cruoris  ille  nullara  perdidit. 

But  these  the  dust  and  damp  consume, 
And  Time,  in  his  destroying  race, 
Shall  breathe  upon  the  tragic  scroll, 
And  every  mouldering  line  efface. 
There  is  a  record  traced  on  high, 
That  shall  endure  eternally; 
On  whose  everlasting  page, 
Naught  grows  obsolete  by  age. 
The  angel,  standing  by  God's  throne, 
Treasures  there  each  word  and  groan  ; 
And  not  the  martyr's  speech  alone, 
But  every  wound  is  there  depicted, 
"With  every  circumstance  of  pain, 
The  crimson  6tream,  the  gash  inflicted, 
And  not  a  drop  is  shed  in  vain, 

Even  the  murder  of  the  Innocents  calls  forth  one 
of  his  most  splendid  efforts : — 

Salvete,  flores  martyrum, 

Quos  lucis  ipso  in  limine 
•  Christi  insecutor  sustulit, 

Ceu  turbo  nascentee  rosas. 
Vos  prima  Christi  victima, 

Grex  iramolatorum  tener, 

Aram  ante  ipsam  simplice8 

Palma,  et  coronis  luditis. 

First  fruits  of  martyrs,  hail! 

Whom  in  the  dawning  of  Life's  day, 

The  godless  tyrant  swept  away, 

As  storm,  the  budding  roses. 
But  now  before  the  altar  high 

Each  tender  victim  safe  reposes, 
Pleased  in  that  dread  vicinity, 
With  branch  of  palm  and  crown  to  play; 
Though  all  unconscious  of  the  prize, 
Themselves,  'Christ's  earliest  sacrifice. 


THE   MARTYRS    OF   THE   CATACOMBS.  91 

We  learn,  indeed,  from  various  sources,  how 
precious  to  the  early  Church  was  the  blood  of  her 
martyrs.  They  felt,  more  than  we  can  do  in  these 
latter  days,  the  magnitude  of  the  conflict  through 
which  they  had  passed,  and  the  glory  of  the  victory 
they  had  achieved.  They  looked  upon  them  as  con- 
querors, in  the  highest  sense,  over  all  the  entice- 
ments of  this  mortal  life,  as  well  as  the  nameless 
terrors  which  gathered  around  their  parting  hour 
of  agony.  They  esteemed,  indeed,  the  "  baptism 
of  blood"  the  surest  passport  to  the  paradise  above  ; 
and  when  Quirinus  was  sentenced  to  be  drowned, 
Prudentius,  in  lamenting  his  fate,  thinks  it  neces- 
sary to  vindicate  his  claim  to  the  honors  of  martyr- 
dom, notwithstanding  his  death  was  without  blood- 
shed : — 

Nil  refert,  vitreo  aequore, 
An  de  flumine  sanguinis 
Tinguat  passio  mart}rrem; 
jEquse  gloria  provenit, 
Fluctu  quolibet  uvida. 

The  deep  cold  waters  close  o'er  one; 
Another  sheds  a  crimson  river; 
No  matter;  either  stream  returns 
A  life  to  the  Eternal  Giver: 
Each  tinges  with  a  glorious  dye 
The  martyr's  robe  of  victory. 

From  this  cause,  the  very  remains  of  the  martyrs 
became  precious  to  them.  They  gathered  up  all 
that  could  be  rescued  of  their  mangled  bodies,  with 
an  enthusiastic  feeling  which  was  natural  in  those 
ages  of  simplicity  and  persecution ;  and  so  well 
was  this  understood  among  the  pagans,  that  on  one 
occasion,  to  disappoint  them  in  their  hopes,  and  to 


92  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

add  fresh  pains  to  their  bereavement,  they  threw 
the  bodies  of  the  martyrs  of  Lyons  into  the  Rhone- 
Is  it  strange,  then,  that  the  resting-places  of  the 
martyrs  were  marked,  and  became,  as  it  were, 
a  nucleus  around  which  other  graves  were  ga- 
thered ?* 

Yet  this  expression  of  reverence  gave  no  prece- 
dent for  the  corruption  into  which  it  afterward 
grew,  though  we  can  easily  see  how  the  change 
took  place.  The  dividing  line  between  a  proper 
veneration  for  the  relics  of  one  who  had  shed  his 
blood  for  the  faith,  and  their  idolatrous  worship, 
was  insensibly  passed,  men  scarcely  marked  how ; 
and  when  Prudentius  wrote  on  this  subject,  the 
Church  had  already  begun  to  wander  far  from  her 
ancient  simplicity.  Yet  so  was  it  not  in  the  early 
day 8  when  these  martyrs  were  laid  to  their  rest  in 
the  Catacombs.  No  hired  mourners,  as  with  the 
heathen  around  them,  sent  forth  their  sounds  of 
wailing  sorrow,  but  the  true-hearted  and  the  devout 
wept  the  untimely  fate  of  those  they  might  soon  be 
called  to  follow.  The  places  where  they  rested, 
were,  to  the  surviving,  consecrated  shrines.  They 
felt,  as  did  St.  Augustine,  when,  in  his  "  City  of 
God,"  he  speaks  of  the  bodies  of  Christians,  as 
"  vases  which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  lighted  up  with 
good  works ;"  and  in  another  place,  he  says,  "  the 
bodies  of  the  saints  are  more  glorious  than  if  man 
had  not  fallen."  Yet  in  all  this  we  trace  no 
feeling  of  superstition  mingled  with  their  rever- 
ence. 

*  The  first  twenty  chapters  of  Arringhi's  Roma  Subterranea,  are 
devoted  to  a  discussion  of  the  martyrs  of  the  Catacombs. 


THE    MARTYRS    OF    THE    CATACOMBS.  93 

Of  the  number  of  the  martyrs  we  can  form  no 
estimate.  We  know  that  as  one  persecution  after 
another  swept  over  the  Imperial  city,  each  must 
have  added  largely  to  the  lengthening  catalogue  of 
those  who  offered  up  their  lives  on  the  altar  of 
Christian  duty.  For  ages  Koine  was  crimson  with 
the  blood  of  apostles  and  confessors  and  martyrs, 
thus  realizing  the  figure  by  which  St.  John  symbol- 
izes the  pagan  city  —  "a  woman  drunken  with  the 
blood  of  the  saints,  and  with  the  blood  of  the  mar- 
tyrs of  Jesus."*  And  such,  too,  is  the  representa- 
tion given  by  St.  Cyprian,  in  the  middle  of  the 
third  century,  when,  applauding  the  courage  and 
constancy  in  faith  exhibited  by  the  Christians,  he 
declares  that  the  number  of  those  who  had  suffered 
martyrdom  was  incalculable.f 

We  have  already  said,  that  of  but  few  among  the 
thousands  gathered  here,  is  the  manner  of  their 
death  plainly  mentioned.  As,  however,  it  may  be 
interesting  to  see  the  way  in  which  this  is  done 
in  these  few  exceptions,  we  will  copy  several  of 
them : — 

PRIMITIVS  IN  PACE  QVI  POST 

MVLTAS  ANGVSTIAS  FORTISSIMVS  MARTYR 

ET  VIXIT  ANNOS  P.M.  XXXVIII  CONIVC.  SVO 

PERDVLCISSIMO  BENEMERENTI  FECIT. 

Primitius_in  peace;  a  most  valiant  martyr,  after  many  torment?. 
Aged  38.  His  wife  raised  this  to  her  dearest  well-deserving  hus- 
band. 

*  Rev.  xvii.,  6. 

f  "  Exuberante  copia  virtutis,  et  fidei  numerari  non  possunt  mar- 
tyres  Christi."— Lib.  de  Exhort  Martyr.,  c.  xi. 


94 


THE   CATACOMBS   OF  HOME. 


^ 


LAMW/Xf!°M 


f&r/ur 


He  suffered  under  Dio- 


Lannus,  the  martyr  of  Christ,  rests  here, 
cletian.     For  his  successors  also. 

The  letters  E.  P.  S.  are  stated  by  Boldetti  to 
stand  for  the  words,  Et  Posteris  Suis. 

The  next  shows,  from  its  concluding  sentence, 
that  it  was  erected  during  a  time  of  actual  perse- 
cution. It  has,  carved  on  its  sides,  the  two  most 
common  emblems — the  cross  and  palm  branch. 

TEMPORE  ADRIANI  IMPERATORIS  MA 
RIUS  ADOLESCENS  DVX  MILITVM  QVI 
SATIS  VIXIT  DVM  VITAM  PRO  CHO 
CVM  SANGVINE  CONSVNSIT  IN  PACE 
TANDEM  QVIEVIT  BENEMERENTES 
CVM  LACRIMIS  ET  METV  POSVERVNT 
L  D.  VI. 

In  Christ  In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Adrian,  Marius,  a  young 
military  officer,  who  had  lived  long  enough,  when,  with  his  blood 
he  gave  up  his  life  for  Christ  At  length  he  rested  in  peace.  The 
well-deserving  set  up  this  with  tears  and  in  fear,  on  the  6th,  Ides 
of  December. 


THE   MARTYRS    OF   THE    CATACOMBS.  95 

We  give  the  fac-simile  of  another  discovered  by 
Arringhi  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Agnes.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  decipher,  but  the  rendering  is  given  by  him 
(lib.  iii.,  cap.  xxii.,  p.  337) : — 


QVHe  OGVVTHPTTAKG 


Hie  Gordianus  Gallia?  nuncius,  jugulatus  pro  fide,  cum  familia 
tota;  quiescunt  in  pace;  Theopliila  aDcilla  fecit 

Here  lies  Gordianus,  deputy  of  Gaul,  who  was  murdered,  with 
all  his  family,  for  the  faith ;  they  rest  in  peace.  Theophila,  his 
handmaid,  set  up  this. 

These  are  specimens  of  the  few  inscriptions  of 
this  kind  that  can  be  found.  There  is  another,  a 
portion  of  which  we  quoted  in  the  second  chapter, 
erected  to  mark  the  resting-place  of  a  martyr  who 
was  surprised  at  his  devotions  in  the  Catacombs, 
and  found  there  his  place  of  death  and  burial.* 

*  We  have  confined  the  discussion  in  these  pages  almost  entirely 
to  the  Catacombs  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Rome,  the  inscriptions 
from  which  are  contained  in  the  Lapidarian  Gallery  in  the  Vatican, 
as  we  wished  to  speak  on  this  subject,  as  far  as  possible,  from  per- 
sonal examination.  We  find  in  Bome  works,  accounts  of  inscriptions, 
not  in  this  collection,  and  discovered  in  other  places  under  similar 
circumstances.  For  instance,  at  the  town  of  Nepi,  on  the  road  to 
Florence,  twenty-four  miles  from  Rome,  was  discovered,  in  1540,  a 
natural  grotto  which  had  been  converted  into  a  cemetery  for  the 
first  inhabitants  of  the  place,  who  embraced  Christianity.  The 
graves  are  excavated  in  tho  walls,  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the 
Roman  cemeteries,  and  amounted  to  nearly  six  hundred  in  number. 
Of  these,  thirty-eight,  it  is  said,  were  ascertained  to  be  those  of  mar- 
tyrs. A  portion  of  the  inscription  over  one,  plainly  sets  forth  the 
fact  that  he  was  beheaded  : — 

MARTYRIO    CORONATUS    CAPITE   TRUXCATUS-  JACET. 

— Rock's  Hierurgia,  2d  ed.,  p.  548. 


96  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

But,  we  remarked,  it  was  chiefly  through  em- 
blems rudely  carved  on  the  stone,  that  later  gener- 
ations thought  to  distinguish  the  graves  of  those 
who  actually  shed  their  blood  for  the  faith.  Yet 
these  have  furnished  abundant  materials  for  discus- 
sion to  the  antiquarian.  Among  them  is  the  ungu- 
la,  or  hooked  forceps,  which  is  usually  regarded  as 
an  instrument  of  torture,  some  of  which  has  been 
found  within  the  tombs,  and  are  now  shown  in  the 
museum  of  the  Vatican.  Another  is  a  hooked 
comb,  which  it  is  contended  was  used  in  tearing 
the  flesh  of  the  martyrs.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
asserted  by  some  writers,  that  these  instruments 
were  the  emblems  of  the  trade  or  profession  of  him 
who  is  buried  beneath ;  to  inscribe  these  on  the 
tomb,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  next  chapter,  being  a 
custom  common  in  that  day.  On  this  subject  we 
can  not  of  course  pretend  to  decide,  but  will  only 
observe,  that  the  former  opinion  is  the  one  sustained 
by  Arringhi*  and  JBoldetti,  and  that  these  instru- 
ments are  frequently  mentioned  in  the  "  Peristepha- 
non,"  of  Prudentius. 

The  palm  by  itself,  which  is  found  on  so  many 
tombs,  is  now  allowed  by  most  writers  to  be  no  cer- 
tain evidence  of  martyrdom.  It  was  rather  a  Chris- 
tian emblem,  showing  the  triumph  over  sin  and  the 
grave,  in  which  every  true  follower  of  our  Lord 
had  a  right  to  claim  his  part. 

Another  is  the  cup,  which  was  often  found  with- 
out the  graves,  and  is  so  represented  in  some  of  the 

*  Arringhi  devotes  a  chapter  to  the  subject:  "Martyriorum  in- 
strunienta  una  cum  martyrum  corporibus  tumulo  reponuntur." — 
Roma  Subterranea,  lib.  i.,  cap.  29. 


THE  MARTYRS  OF  THE  CATACOMBS.        97 

engravings  we  have  already  given.  It  was  contend- 
ed that  this  was  placed  at  the  martyr's  grave  filled 
with  his  blood.*  But  while  in  writers  of  that  day 
we  find  abundant  evidence  of  the  care  of  the  Chris- 
tians in  collecting  the  remains  of  their  friends  and 
the  blood  shed  in  martyrdom,  it  was  that  they  might 
possess  the  latter  as  a  precious  memorial.  There  is 
nowhere  a  mention  made  of  their  burying  it.  Pru- 
dentius,  in  describing  the  eagerness  of  the  friends 
of  St  Yincent  to  dip  their  cloths  in  his  blood,  gives 
as  a  reason,  that  they  might  keep  it  at  home,  as  a 
sacred  palladium  for  their  posterity. 

Plerique  vestem  linteam 

Stillante  tingunt  sanguine, 

Tutamen  ut  sacrum  suis 

Domi  reserve nt  posteris.f 

Crowds  haste  the  linen  vest  to  stain, 

With  gore  distilled  from  martyr's  vein, 

And,  thus,  a  holy  safeguard  place 

At  home,  to  shield  their  future  race. 

It  is  curious,  indeed,  to  see  the  different  explana- 
tions which  writers  have  given  of  the  origin  and 
meaning  of  this  emblem.  It  is  suggested,  for  in- 
stance, by  Roestell,  a  view  too  which  Raonl  Ro- 
chette  seems  to  take,  that  these  were  only  intended 
to  represent  sacramental  cups,  showing  the  deceased 
to  have  been  in  all  respects  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  accustomed  to  unite  with  his 
brethren  in  that  rite  which  showed  their  union  with 
their  departed  Lord.  This  view  is  strengthened, 
indeed,  by  the  inscription  found  on  some  of  these 
cups.  On  one  of  them  are  the  words — YTNCEN- 
TI   PIE    ZESE   (for  fr«r««),   "Yincent,   drink  and 

*  Rock's  Hierurgia,  p.  269.  f  Peristephanon:  Hymn  v. 

5 


98  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

live."  This  seems  evidently  to  refer  to  sacrament- 
al purposes.  Maitland,  on  the  contrary,  is  disposed 
to  adopt  the  idea,  that  these  vessels  were  "  deposi- 
tories for  aromatic  gums,"  which,  as  we  have  al- 
ready stated  in  a  former  chapter,  were  much  used 
by  the  early  Christians  in  the  interment  of  the 
dead. 

The  consequence  of  all  these  discussions  is,  that 
the  cup  is  beginning  to  be  looked  upon  by  anti- 
quarians as  being  of  very  uncertain  meaning. 
There  is,  too,  a  chronological  difficulty  connected 
with  this  subject.  It  is  found  in  many  tombs  of  so 
late  a  period  as  to  be  posterior  to  that  of  the  perse- 
cutions, where  therefore  it  is  impossible  that  the 
individual  could  have  been  a  martyr.* 

Another  difficulty  is  the  youth  of  some  of  those 
on  whose  graves  this  symbol  is  found.  For  in- 
stance, Arringhi  (lib.  iii.,  c.  xxii.)  gives  the  inscrip- 
tion over  a  child  of  three  years  of  age,  which  is 
accompanied  with  the  cup.  He  could  hardly  have 
been  a  martyr. 

ANASTASIVS  QVI  BIXIT 
ANNOS  TRES. 

The  furnace  is  also  frequently  found  as  an 
emblem.     It  is  sometimes  in  this  shape. 
This  is  said  by  some  writers  to  signify, 

*  "  Some  of  these  vessels,  supposed  thus  to  have  been  vessels  of 
martyr's  blood,  have  been  found,  on  careful  examination,  to  be  of  a 
form  and  make  long  subsequent  to  the  age  of  persecution,  and  to 
exhibit  signs  painted  or  graven  upon  them  which  could  not  have 
been  so  graven  or  painted  till  after  the  times  of  martyrdom,  inas- 
much as  they  were  not  invented  till  years  long  subsequent"— 
Mornings  among  the  Jesuits,  by  Seymour,  p.  222. 


THE   MARTYRS   OF   THE   CATACOMBS.  99 

that  the  individual  suffered  death  by  fire,  or  that 
these  were  caldrons  filled  with  boiling  oil  in  which 
the  martyr  was  immersed.  It  is  exhibited  in  an- 
other form  in  the  following  inscription  : — 

BICTORI  yff\NA[N 

pace  p^Xtrmt 

VICTORINA  IN  PACE  ET  IN  CHRISTO. 
Victorina  in  peace  and  in  Christ 

These  are  the  principal  emblems  which  are  sup- 
posed to  point  out  the  \  tombs  of  the  martyrs.  It 
will  be  seen  that  they  are  involved  in  great  obscu- 
rity, and  the  only,  certain  evidence  is  derived  from 
the  declaration  at  the  fact>  in  the  inscription. 
But  there  is  another  truth  connected  with  this  sub- 
ject, which  is  worth  our  notice.  Perilous  as  were 
those  times,  how  seldom  do  we  see  anything  gloomy 
in  the  symbols  or  the  inscriptions  with  which  they 
laid  their  brethren  to  rest!  They  had  too  little 
for  which  to  live,  even  to  harbor  a  thought  of  hos- 
tility against  those  whose  persecution  separated 
them  from  this  decaying  life ;  and  their  visions  of 
glory  were  too  vivid  to  suffer  them  to  lament  the 
athlete  of  Christ,  when  he  had  worthily  finished 
his  course.  The  dismal  pictures  of  martyrdom 
which  now  meet  our  gaze  at  every  step,  in  foreign 
galleries  and  churches,  are  the  productions  of  later 
days.  They  are  the  signs  of  a  period  when  the 
spirit  of  the  Church  had  become  dark  and  gloomy. 


100  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   KOME. 

Tims  it  is  that  "  the  noble  army  of  the  martyrs" 
rest  about  us  in  these  dark  retreats,  and  never  until 
the  Last  Day  will  it  be  known  with  regard  to  many 
that  they  sacrificed  their  lives  for  the  faith.  Yet 
as  long  as  they  were  remembered,  their  tombs  were 
hallowed  spots  to  those  who  came  after  them.  The 
motto  of  the  early  Church  was,  via  crccis,  via 
lucis.  The  heroes  it  reverenced  were  not  the  war- 
riors whose  laurels  were  gained  on  fields  of  earthly 
conflict  with  "  garments  rolled  in  blood,"  but  those 
who  like  their  Master,  died  that  the  faith  might 
live : — 

"Strange  conquest,  where  the  conqueror  must  die, 
And  he  is  slain  that  wins  the  victory  1" 


C^rm 


M 


-e^tHM^x^J 


VI. 


THE  SYMBOLS  IN  THE  CATACOMBS. 


VI. 

THE   SYMBOLS   IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 

The  early  Christians  looked  upon  the  fine  arts 
with  suspicion.  Their  noblest  efforts  had  been  so 
entirely  devoted  to  the  interests  of  paganism,  in 
bodying  forth  the  imaginary  gods  which  in  the  old 
mythology  peopled  Olympus,  that  to  the  disciples 
of  the  new  faith  painting  and  sculpture. were  asso- 
ciated with  "  the  worship  of  devils."  "  He  paints 
unlawfully,"  was  one  of  the  charges  made  by  the 
stern  Tertullian  against  Hermogenes.  Sculpture 
had  led  captive  the  imaginations  of  men,  and  they 
therefore  dreaded  its  influence.  A  long  time  had 
to  pass  before  this  feeling  was  obliterated,  and  the 
fine  arts  with  a  new  spirit  came  forth  once  more  to 
minister  in  the  service  of  the  Christian  faith. 

The  class  of  society,  too,  from  which  the  earliest 
disciples  came  —  the  poor  and  the  lowly  —  was 
composed  of  those  who  had  no  knowledge  of  the 
refinements  of  the  arts.  Not  for  them  had  been  the 
pride  and  pomp  of  this  world,  but  their  lives  were 
condemned  to  obscurity  and  toil.  On  them,  there- 
fore, the  treasures  of  Grecian  art  were  wasted,  and 


104  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

the  most  rudely -formed  image,  if  it  expressed  the 
idea  they  wished  to  develop,  was  as  valuable  as  the 
finest  production  from  the  chisel  of  Phidias.  If  it 
symbolized  their  faith,  it  was  all  they  asked. 

Of  this  ignorance  of  many  of  the  early  disciples, 
some  of  the  inscriptions  we  have  already  copied  to 
show  other  points,  have  given  sufficient  evidence. 
In  many  cases,  the  orthography  itself  is  so  faulty 
that  it  requires  study  to  discover  what  must  have 
been  the  original  meaning.  They  were  evidently 
the  work  of  some  who  had  not  shared  in  the  light 
of  the  Augustan  Age.  Such,  for  instance,  is  the 
following,  which  as  a  specimen  of  latinity  is  per- 
fectly unrivalled : — 

_  IIBER  QVI  VIXI  QVAI  QVO 

yf  PARE  IVA  ANOIVE  I  ANORV 

^/N  M  PLVI  MINVI  XXX  I  PACE 

The  probable  reading  is  this  : — 

Liber,  qui  vixit  cum  compare 
Sua  annum  I  annoriTm 
Plus  minus  xxx  in  pace. 

Still  more  singular  is  one  in  the  Lapidarian  Gal- 
lery, of  which  we  give  a  fac-simile  : — 

WIXMVpMTNMIWJB 

2!NlpW/WO]l2\2JM"T3 

M3lOVHHATfXlv3yp 

Elia  Vincentia,  Avho  lived  —  years  and  two  months.  She  lived 
with  Virginius  a  year  and  a  day. 


THE  SYMBOLS  IN  THE  CATACOMBS.       105 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  inscription  is  entire- 
ly reversed.  To  render  it  legible,  it  must  be  held 
before  a  mirror,  and  then  its  meaning  will  be  as 
plain  as  can  beywith  a  sentence  so  rudely  sculp- 
tured. Maitland  conjectures  that  the  stonecutter 
endeavored  to  take  off  upon  the  marble  the  impres- 
sion of  a  written  inscription,  and  the  husband  of 
Elia  was  too  ignorant  to  perceive  the  error,  or  to 
procure  a  more  intelligible  record  of  his  wife. 

But  this  very  ignorance  drove  them  to  some  form 
of  symbolism.  They  wished  something  to  picture 
to  the  eye,  and  in  their  ignorance  of  language  were 
obliged  to  resort  to  other  representations.  It  is  to 
this  we  must  ascribe  the  rudely-carved  lion  on  the 
tomb  of  Leo.  The  picture  recalled  his  name  at 
once  to  the  unlettered  survivors,  to  whom  the  words 
of  the  epitaph  would  have  been  unintelligible. 

PONTIVS -LEO'S -EBIV 
ET  PONTIA  •  M 
FECERVNT-FI 


Besides  those  which  in  this  way  represented 
proper  names,  there  were  two  classes  of  symbols. 
One  of  a  purely  secular  kind,  indicating  the  trade 
of  him  who  was  buried  beneath.  Thus  we  some- 
times find  the  adze  and  saw  of  the  carpenter.  This 
was  often  the  custom  with  the  Komans,  and  at  once 

5* 


106 


THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


recalls  to  our  minds  the  sphere  and  cylinder  on  the 
tomb  of  Archimedes,  by  which  Cicero  discovered 
the  resting-place  of  the  mathematician.  We  will 
give  a  single  illustration  of  this,  and  the  one  which 
we  select  is  chosen  rather  from  the  curious  fate  to 
which  it  has  been  subjected.  In  the  successive 
irruptions  of  barbarians,  which,  as  we  have  already 
described,  inundated  the  Imperial  city,  and  de- 
stroyed its  antiquities  and  works  of  art,  the  slabs  on 
which  the  inscriptions  in  the  Catacombs  were  re- 
corded, were  often  torn  from  their  places  and  used 
for  the  most  common  purposes.  One  of  these 
Maitland  discovered  built  into  the  wall  of  a  pas- 
sage in  the  Piazza  di  Spagna,  in  Eome.  It  is  the 
epitaph  on  a  wool-comber,  and  we  copy  it  as  a 
good  illustration  of  the  point  we  would  show.  We 
have  here  all  the  implements  of  his  trade ;  the 
shears,  comb,  the  plate  of  metal  with  rounded 
handle,  and  the  speculum : — 

V£NEKXElHPACAt 


To  Veneria,  in  peace.' 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN   THE    CATACOMBS.  107 

But  we  pass  from  these  cases,  as  they  have  no 
connection  with  the  faith  of  those  over  whom  they 
wrere  carved.  In  addition  to  which,  they  are  com- 
paratively few  in  number. 

The  other  class,  and  by  far  the  larger  proportion, 
refer  to  the  profession  of  Christianity  and  those 
hopes  which  had  so  lately  dawned  upon  them,  and 
lived  beyond  the  narrow  grave  which  they  had  de- 
prived of  its  terrors.  Of  these  we  naturally  turn 
first  to  the  cross,  the  primal  symbol  of  Christianity, 
because  it  is  the  one  most  generally  used.  This 
emblem  of  our  common  faith  is  everywhere  to  be 
seen.  Although  so  lately  invested  with  the  most 
humiliating  associations,  to  the  early  Christians  it 
became  at  once  a  mark  of  dignity  and  honor.  Un- 
like but  too  many  who,  in  this  day,  bear  that  holy 
name  which  was  first  assumed  at  Antioch,  they 
gloried  in  the  Cross.  They  used  it  as  an  emblem 
on  all  occasions  during  life — for  with  them  the 
Cross  explained  every  taring  —  and  it  consecrated 
their  tombs  when  the  conflict  of  life  was  over,  and 
they  had  exchanged  it  for  the  crown.  But  we  post- 
pone for  the  present  any  further  discussion  of  this 
emblem,  as  in  the  succeeding  chapter  we  shall  en- 
deavor to  trace  the  changes  through  which  its  rep- 
resentation passed. 


108  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

We  often,  too,  meet  with  the  monogram  of  our 
Lord's  name,  in  what  was  undoubtedly  its  earliest 
form,  the  X  and  P,  the  first  letters  of  Xp«r«s,  united. 
For  example,  in  the  preceding  and  following  simple 
inscriptions: — 


BERPIO^IWPACE 


We  copy  one  more  for  a  peculiarity  connected 
with  it,  which,  however,  is  not  uncommon  in  these 
early  epitaphs.  The  primitive  Christians  seem  often 
to  have  taken  some  tablet  with  a  heathen  inscrip- 
tion, and  erasing  it,  to  have  placed  their  own  in  its 
stead.  Such  is  the  case  with  the  following,  where 
the  whole  of  the  original  epitaph  is  not  obliterated ; 
but  we  still  trace  the  D.  M.,  standing  for  DIVIS 
MAOTBUS,  "To  the  Divine  Manes,"  and  two 
other  letters,  the  meaning  of  which  it  would  now 
be  impossible  to  discover : — 

HERCULIO.  INNOCENTI 

^^c  an  in  '       vm 

JENUARIA  ALXJMNOMERE. 
IN  PACE 


THE    SYMBOLS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS. 


109 


The  monogram  was  sometimes  surrounded  by 
palms,  which  were  much  used  in  all  these  em- 
blems, as  being  to  the  Christians  symbols  of  vic- 
tory and  triumph.  We  find  it,  therefore,  repre- 
sented in  this  way  : — 


The  next  step  was  that  the  monogram  was 
somewhat  altered  in  form  by  the  decussation  (to 
use  the  technical  term)  of  the  X,  to  produce  the 
form  of  a  cross.  The  following  figure,  in  which  it 
is  so  represented,  is  copied  from  the  tomb  of  a 
child,  who  died  in  his  fourth  year.  The  monogram 
here  has  become  a  regular  cross,  which  a  figure  is 
holding : — 


Subsequently  the  A  and  a  were  sometimes  added, 
referring  to  the  well-known  passage  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse, where  our  Lord  is  styled  the  Alpha   and 


110 


THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


Omega.  The  use  of  these  letters  is  frequently 
mentioned  by  both  Tertullian  and  Prudentius, 
showing  how  general  in  that  age  must  have  been 
the  reception  of  tjie  book  of  Revelations  as  a  part 
of  the  inspired  canon.  These  letters  are  represent- 
ed in  the  following  fragment  of  an  inscription : — 


aP 


QU1ESCIT  IN  PACE 
IANUARIUS  rA  VIXIT  A 


There  was  a  seal-ring  found  in  the  Catacombs,  on 
which  were  engraven  the  same  emblems,  while  the 
monogram  seems  to  be  sustained  by  two  doves : — 


Sometimes,  probably  from  the  ignorance  of  the 
sculptor,  these  two  symbolical  letters  were  inverted, 
as  in  the  following  rudely  sculptured  design : — 


THE    SYMBOLS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS.  Ill 

Besides  these  inverted  letters,  we  have  here  the 
monogram,  together  with  the  name  of  the  individ- 
ual. It  is  to  be  read,  therefore,  "  Tasaris,  in  Christ, 
the  First  and  the  Last." 

Next  to  these,  one  of  the  most  common  symbols  was 
the  fish.  It  was  a  majestic  sign  in  which  the  early 
Christians  particularly  delighted,  not  only  because 
it  was  so  expressive  of  the  idea  they  wished  to  body 
forth,  but  because  it  was  an  emblem  whose  meaning 
their  heathen  foes  would  have  found  it  impossible  to 
detect.  The  idea  was  originally  derived  from  the 
Greek  word  for  fish,  tXBvSt  which  contains  the  initials 

Of  Ipaovs  Xpiros  Oeov  Y«oS  Ewr/jp,  JeSUS    CHRIST,  THE    SoN  OF 

God,  the  Savior.  Among  the  religious  emblems 
which  St.  Clement  (A.  D.  194)  recommends  to  the 
Christians  of  Alexandria,  to  have  engraven  on  their 
rings,  he  mentions  the  fish,  and  remarks,  "  that  such 
a  sign  will  prevent  them  from  forgetting  their  ori- 
gin."* It  furnished,  too,  a  theme  on  which  an  ori- 
ental imagination  found  much  to  dwell,  in  detecting 
other  resemblances.  "  The  fish,"  says  Tertullian, 
"  seems  a  fit  emblem  of  Him,  whose  spiritual  chil- 
dren are,  like  the  offspring  of  fishes,  born  in  the 
water  of  baptism." 

The  word  ixev*  was  often  expressed  at  length  in 
their  inscriptions,  and  at  other  times  the  fish  itself 
was  figured. 

"We  copy  one  of  the  earliest  specimens,  where  it  is 
given  in  its  rudest  form,  the  mere  outline  scratched 
upon  the  slab,  together  with  the  dove.  Were  it  not 
by  comparison  with  other  inscriptions,  we  should 
not  recognise  the  fish  . 

*  Pcedag.,  ].  iii.,  c.  xi. 


112 


THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


A  better  representation  is  found  upon  a  lamp  dis- 
covered in  the  Catacombs,  where  two  fish  are  por- 
trayed upon  the  upper  part  of  the  lamp,  while  the 
handle  shows  the  monogram  of  our  Lord's  name. 


On  some  of  the  tombs  we  find  an  anchor  pic- 
tured, of  which  Clement  of  Alexandria  speaks  as  a 
Christian  emblem.  The  association  of  ideas  here  is 
obvious.  They  looked  upon  life  as  a  stormy  voy- 
age, and  glad  were  the  voyagers  when  it  was  done, 
and  they  had  arrived  safe  in  port.  Of  this  the  an- 
chor was  a  symbol,  and  when  their  brethren  carved 
it  over  the  tomb,  it  was  to  them  an  expression  of 


THE   SYMBOLS   IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  113 

confidence  that  he  who  slept  beneath  had  reached 
the  haven  of  eternal  rest. 


A  similar  idea  undoubtedly  dictated  the  choice 
of  a  ship  as  one  of  their  most  common  emblems, 
and  which  the  Church  of  Home  has  retained  to  this 
day.*  It  was  supposed  to  be  sailing  heavenward, 
and  they  referred  to  the  expression  of  St.  Peter — 
"So  shall  an  entrance  be  ministered  unto  you 
abundantly"  —  which  they  endeavored  to  illustrate 
by  the  idea  of  a  vessel  making  a  prosperous  en- 
trance into  port.  It  was  not  a  symbol  confined  to 
the  Christians,  but  was  with  the  heathen  also  a 
favorite  emblem  of  the  close  of  life.  It  may  be 
seen  at  this  day  carved  on  a  tomb  near  the  Nea- 
politan Gate  of  Pompeii.  Perhaps,  from  them  the 
early  fathers  derived  it,  yet  they  gave  it  a  Christian 
and  more  elevated  meaning.  The  allegory  of  the 
ship  is  carried  out  to  its  fullest  extent  in  the  fifty- 

*  The  writer  once  saw  a  miniature  ship  suspended  from  the  beams 
of  a  little  Indian  chapel  belonging  to  one  of  the  Koman  Catholic 
missions  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior.  It  was  a  perfectly  mod- 
ern ship  in  all  its  equipments,  and  as  unlike  as  possible  those  repre- 
sented on  the  tombs  of  the  early  Christians ;  still,  it  was  the  same 
idea  they  had  inherited. 


114: 


THE   CATAC0MB9    OF    ROME. 


seventh  chapter  of  the  second  book  of  the  "  Apos- 
tolical Constitutions,"  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  compiled  in  the  fourth  century.  It  is  repre- 
sented also  on  a  gem  found  in  the  Catacombs, 
where  the  ship  is  sailing  on  a  fish,  while  doves, 
emblematical  of  the  faithful,  perch  on  the  mast  and 
stern  ;  two  apostles  row,  a  third  lifts  up  his  hands 
in  prayer,  and  our  Savior,  approaching  the  vessel, 
supports  Peter  by  the  hand  when  about  to  sink.  It 
was  probably  one  of  the  signet-rings  alluded  to  by 
Clement  of  Alexandria,  as  bearing  the  vavt  oipavoSpo- 
iiovcxa,  the  ship  in  full  sail  for  heaven.* 


Sometimes  the  mast  was  drawn  as  a  cross,  in  al- 
lusion to  our  Savior.    The  following,  in  the  Lapi- 


*  Pcedagogus,  lib.  iil 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN    TIIE   CATACOMBS.  115 

darian    Gallery,  is  the  usual  form  in  which  it  is 
represented. 

To  show  the  way  in  which  it  was  used  in  these 
epitaphs,  we  copy  one,  where  the  simple  outline  of 
a  ship  is  given,  while  it  is  referred  to  in  the  in- 
scription : — 

NABIRA  m  PACE  ANIMA  DVLCIS 
QVI  BIXIT  ANOS  n  XVI  M  V 
ANIMA  MELEIEA 
TITVLV  FACTV 
APARENTES  SIGNVM  NABE 

Navira,  in  peace,  a  sweet  soul, 

Who  lived  sixteen  years  and  five  mouths: 

A  soul  sweet  as  honey. 

This  epitaph  was  made 

By  her  parents — the  sign,  a  ship. 

It  was  natural,  however,  that  the  most  interest- 
ing symbols  to  the  early  Christians  were  those 
which  were  connected  with  the  life  and  character 
of  our  Lord.  In  the  primitive  days  of  the  Church, 
both  in  the  east  and  west,  "  He  was  represented  as 
an  abstraction,  as  the  genius,  so  to  speak,  of  Chris- 
tianity,"* and  among  all  the  drawings  in  the  Cata- 
combs there  is  but  one  form  in  which  he  is  por- 
trayed. It  is  as  a  beardless  youth,  to  signify — the 
old  writers  tells  us — "the  everlasting  prime  of 
Eternity." 

Perhaps  the  most  frequent  character  in  which 
He  is  introduced,  is  that  of  the  Good  Shepherd. 
He  is  represented  in  a  shepherd's  dress  and  sandals, 
carrying  the  "  lost  sheep"  on  his  shoulders,  while 

*  Lord  Lindsay's  Christian  Art,  vol.  i.,  p.  42. 


116 


THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 


his  flock  feed  around  or  look  up  to  him.  Often,  the 
landscape  about  is  planted  with  olive-trees,  doves 
resting  on  their  branches,  symbolical  of  the  peace 
of  the  faithful.  Eusebius  tells  us  that  Constantine 
erected  a  statue  of  the  Good  Shepherd  in  the  Forum 
at  Constantinople.*  The  painting  which  we  have 
copied  is  from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Callistus. 


Another  figure  represents  Him,  a  lamb  with  a 
cross  on  his  head,  symbolical  of  the  Atonement,  as 


*  Vita  Cons.,  lib.  iii.,  cap.  xlix. 


THE    SYMBOLS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS. 


117 


standing  on  the  rock  or  mountain  of  Paradise,  from 
which  gush  out  four  rivers,  emblematical  of  the 
Evangelists. 

We  now  come  to  the  scenes  of  His  life.  The 
Adoration  of  the  Magi  is  a  favorite  subject  of  rep- 
resentation. In  the  following,  from  the  cemetery 
of  St.  Marcellinus,  the  three  wise  men  are  portrayed 
wearing  Phrygian  caps. 


In  ariother  case,  on  a  sarcophagus  found  in  the 
cemetery  of  St.  Sebastian,  of  course  of  a  much 
later  date  than  the  former,  there  is  an  elaborate 
bas  relief,  in  which  the  infant  Jesus  is  represented 
lying  in  the  manger  with  the  oxen  around  him, 
while  the  Magi  are  approaching  with  their  gifts, 
and  the  star  of  Bethlehem  is  seen  above  them.  — 


118 


THE    CATACOMBS    OF    ROME. 


One  of  the  most  elaborate  paintings  in  any  part 
of  the  Catacombs,  is  a  representation  of  our  Lord's 
baptism,  discovered  in  the  cemetery  of  Pontianus. 
It  will  be  observed,  he  is  portrayed  standing  in  the 
Jordan,  with  John  the  Baptist  pouring  water  upon 
his  head  with  his  hand. 


Another  common  representation  is  that  of  our 
Lord  placing  his  hand  on  the  head  of  a  child  and 
blessing  it.     The  one  we  have  copied  is  from  the 


THE    SYMBOLS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS. 


119 


cemetery  of  St.  Callistus.  We  have  placed  by  its 
side,  our  Lord  conversing  with  the  woman  of  Sama- 
ria at  the  well,  taken  from  a  sarcophagus  in  the 
Vatican.     It  is  a  scene  repeated  in  many  forms. 


"We  frequently  meet,  too,  with  our  Lord's  trium- 
phant entrance  into  Jerusalem,  the  people  with 
palm-branches  and  strewing  their  garments  in  the 
way,  while  Zacchseus,  who  is  the  unfailing  accom- 
paniment in  this  scene,  is  seen  in  the  tree.  With 
his  early  followers,  this  was  not  only  an  exhibition 
of  our  Lord's  triumph  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  but 
it  foreshadowed  also  his  ultimate  entrance  as  the 
King  of  Glory  into  the  New  Jerusalem.  The  fol- 
lowing representation   is   the  most   elaborate   we 


120 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


have  met  with,  and  is  taken  from  a  sarcophagus  in 
the  Vatican. 


The  miracles  of  our  Savior,  however,  were  the 
subjects  on  which  the  early  Christians  most  de- 
lighted to  dwell.  Strangely  represented,  indeed, 
yet  always  in  such  a  way  that  we  at  once  recognise 
the  intention  and  design.  In  the  following,  our 
Lord  is  portrayed  when  "  a  certain  woman  which 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 


121 


had  an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years,  came  in  the 
press  behind  and  touched  his  garments ;  and  Jesus, 
immediately  knowing  in  himself  that  virtue  had 
gone  out  of  him,  turned  about  in  the  press  and 
said,  "  Who  touched  my  clothes  V 

There  is  another  of  a  much  later  date,  on  a  sar- 
cophagus, which  we  copy  on  account  of  the  accom- 
panying views.  It  brings  before  us  a  specimen  of 
Church  architecture  in  the  end  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, to  which  period  the  details  of  this  picture  en- 
able us  to  refer  it  with  tolerable  certainty.  We 
see  before  us  a  complete  Christian  basilica  (appa- 
rently the  same  one  repeated  in  several  positions), 
with  the  circular  baptistry  at  the  side,  yet  detached 
from  it.  At  the  end  of  the  building,  on  the  right, 
we  see  the  terminating  absis.  Before  the  doors 
hang  those  veils  which  are  even  now  common  in 
the  Italian  churches,  to  aid  in  preserving  an  equa- 


122 


THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 


123 


ble  temperature,  and  to  which  St.  Augustine  refers 
as  used  at  the  entrances  of  Pagan  schools  (as  he  ex- 
presses it),  "  serving  to  conceal  the  ignorance  that 
took  refuge  within." 

In  the  two  on  the  preceding  page,  both  of  which 
are  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Callistus,  our  Lokd  is 
touching  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man,  and  the  man 
cured  of -the  palsy  obeying  the  command,  "Arise, 
take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  unto  thine  house," 

The  miracle  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  also  fre- 
quently occurs.  In  the  following,  from  the  ceme- 
tery of  St.  Priscilla,  the  multitude  seem  to  be 
kneeling  with  their  eyes  turned  to  our  Lord,  who, 
however,  is  not  represented  in  the  picture,  as  if 
just  receiving  the  miraculously-increased  food  from 
his  hands.  At  their  feet  we  see  the  loaves  and 
fishes,  while  in  the  lower  part  of  the  picture  stand 
the  "  seven  baskets  full"  that  remained  over. 


As  the  Resurrection  entered  so  much  into  their 
thoughts,  it  was  natural  that  they  should  often 
bring  forward  the  Raising  of  Lazarus  from  the 
dead.  And  it  is  curious  to  trace  the  progress  of 
art  with  reference  to  this  favorite  scene.     In  the 


124 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


first  which  we  copy,  it  is  merely  scratched  on  the 
slab,  just  sufficient  to  represent  Lazarus  coming 
forth  from  the  tomb,  though,  perhaps,  it  would  be 
unintelligible,  were  it  not  for  other  representations 
with  which  to  compare  it.  The  second,  though 
also  rudely  done,  is  executed  with  more  care, 
while  the  figure  of  our  Lord  is  introduced  as  sum- 
moning Lazarus  forth  to  life.  In  all  these  he  is 
intended  to  be  portrayed  as  "  bound  hand  and  foot 
witli  grave-clothes." 


The  last  one,  from  a  later  sarcophagus,  is  well 
carved,  as  far  as  each  individual  figure  is  concerned, 
though  all  rules  of  proportion  are  set  at  defiance  in 
the  relative  size  of  our  Lord,  the  mummy-like  fig- 
ure of  Lazarus,  and  his  kneeling  sister.  (See  next 
page.) 

There  are  numerous  representations  of  the  denial 
of  St.  Peter,  in  many  of  which  we  should  be  unable 
to  define  the  subject,  were  it  not  for  the  accom- 


THE  SYMBOLS  IN  THE  CATACOMBS. 


125 


paniment  of  the  cock.      The  following  is   copied 
from  a  sarcophagus  in  the  Vatican. 


But  among  all  these  delineations  there  is  not  a 
single  attempt  by  the  early  artists  of  the  Churcli  to 
represent  our  Lord's  crucifixion,  or  any  of  those 


126  THE    CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

sorrows  which  at  the  end  of  his  pilgrimage  gathered 
about  the  Son  of  man.  They  felt  that  they  were 
subjects  for  solemn  thought,  not  to  be  pictured  to 
the  outward  eye.  The  most  marked  allusion  to 
this  subject  is  a  lamb  bearing  a  cross.  It  was  re- 
served for  a  later  age  of  superstition,  to  bring  be- 
fore the  Church  sufferings,  on  which  our  Lord's 
first  disciples  were  contented  to  meditate  with  sol- 
emn awe.  "  The  agony,  the  crown  of  thorns,  the 
nails,  the  spear,  seem  all  forgotten  in  the  fullness  of 
joy  brought  by  his  resurrection.  This  is  the  theme, 
Christ's  resurrection,  and  that  of  the  Church  in  his 
person,  on  which,  in  their  peculiar  language,  the 
artists  of  the  Catacombs  seem  never  weary  of  ex- 
patiating; death  swallowed  up  in  victory,  and  the 
victor,  crowned  with  the  amaranth  wreath  of  im- 
mortality, is  the  vision  ever  before  their  eyes,  with 
a  vividness  of  anticipation  which  we,  who  have 
been  born  to  this  belief,  can  but  feebly  realize."* 
Among  all  the  scenes  which  accompanied  the  close 
of  his  ministry  on  earth,  there  is  but  one  which  is 
in  any  way  brought  forward  in  the  Catacombs,  and 
this  is  evidently  rather  commemorated  by  his  dis- 
ciples as  a  testimony  to  the  innocence  of  their 
Lord,  than  from  its  connection  with  his  sufferings. 
It  is  a  mutilated  bas-relief  on  a  sarcophagus  in  the 
Vatican,  representing  Pilate,  after  washing  his 
hands,  uttering  the  declaration — "I  am  innocent 
of  the  blood  of  this  just  person  :  see  ye  to  it."  The 
empty  bowl  is  in  accordance  with  what  is  still  the 
custom   at  the   East,  that,   when   washing,    water 

*Lord  Lindsay's  Christian  Art,  v.  i.,  p.  51. 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS. 


127 


should  be  poured  over  the  hands,  so  that  it  should 
not  pass  over  them  twice. 


We  now  turn  to  the  symbols  taken  from  the  Old 
Testament.  These  are  numerous,  yet  most  of  them 
had  a  further  object  than  merely  to  bring  forward  a 
scene  of  Scripture  history.  Those  events  were  se- 
lected which  they  supposed  to  be  typical  of  some- 
thing in  the  dispensation  which  had  just  dawned 
upon  them,  and  thus  the  Old  and  the  New  were 
linked  together.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  indeed,  that 
subjects  from  the  Old  Testament  are  repeated  at 
least  ten  times  more  frequently  than  those  from  the 
New.  "This  peculiarity,  whether  it  arose  from 
reverence  or  fear,  or  want  of  skill,  constitutes  the 
most  marked  feature  in  the  early  Christian  art  of 
Rome,  and  distinguishes  it  in  a  very  striking  man- 
ner from  that  of  Byzantium.     While  the  Greeks 


128 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF  KOME. 


seem  to  recognise  no  medium  between  absolute 
symbolism  and  direct  representation,  Rome  seems 
to  have  adopted  from  the  first,  and  steadily  adhered 
to,  a  system  of  Typical  Parallelism — of  veiling  the 
great  incidents  of  Redemption,  and  the  sufferings, 
faith,  and  hopes  of  the  Church,  under  the  parallel 
and  typical  events  of  the  Patriarchal  and  Jewish 
dispensations."* 

Beginning  most  naturally  with  that  which  repre- 
sents the  Fall  of  man,  we  copy  a  painting  from  the 
cemetery  of  St.  Callistus.  Adam  and  Eve  are 
standing  by  the  tree  of  Knowledge,  round  which 
the  serpent  is  coiled.  From  the  "  aprons  of  fig- 
leaves"  with  which  they  are  clothed,  it  is  evidently 
after  the  act  of  disobedience  had  been  consum- 
mated. - 


*  Lord  Lindsay's  Christian  Art,  v.  i..  p.  47. 


THE    SYMBOLS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS. 


129 


There  is  another  representation  on  a  sarcophagus 
in  the  Vatican,  where  our  Lord  (as  the  represent- 
ative of  the  Deity)  stands  between,  condemning 
them,  and  offering  a  lamb  to  Eve,  and  a  sheaf  of 
corn  to  Adam,  to  signify  the  doom  of  themselves 
and  their  posterity  to  delve  and  to  spin  through  all 
future  ages.* 


Noah  in  the  ark  is  one  of  the  most  common  of 
the  earliest  symbols.  And  yet,  even  in  the  barren- 
ness of  art  in  that  day,  there  were  no  other  subjects 
which  displayed  such  poverty  of  invention.  Often 
as  it  is  used,  the  artists  seemed  never  able  to  get 
beyond  one  form  of  representation.  Noah  is  stand- 
ing in  a  box  alone,  welcoming  the  return  of  the 
dove.  His  family,  and  the  other  numerous  inmates 
of  the  ark,  are  omitted.  The  one  we  copy,  on  the 
following  page,  is  from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Priscilla. 

*  We  copy  this  drawing  from  Iconographic  Chretienne,  p.  100. 
Paris,  1843. 

6* 


130 


TIIK    CATACOMBS    OF    ROME. 


This  was  the  invariable  form.  The  artist  seemed 
never  to  hazard  an  original  idea,  but  contented 
himself  with  varying  the  position  of  the  patriarch 
or  the  manner  in  which  he  is  receiving  the  dove. 
This  is  shown  in  the  two  following,  which  are 
among  the  earliest  illustrations  of  this  scene. 


THE   SYMBOLS   IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 


131 


But  with  the  early  Christians,  this  was  a  favorite 
subject.  St.  Peter  had  consecrated  it  to  them  as  a 
type,*  and  to  them  it  was  an  emblem  of  reconcilia- 
tion and  peace  through  baptism,  while  the  ark  sym- 
bolized the  Church. 

The  sacrifice  of 
Abraham  was  natu- 
rally often  used,  as 
being  so  admirable  a 
type  of  that  Greater 
Offering,  where,  cen- 
turies afterward,  on 
that  same  mount, 
"  God  should  pro- 
vide himself  a  lamb 
for  a  burnt-offering." 
It  is  repeated  in  ev- 
ery variety  of  form, 
and,  we  are  told  by 
early  writers,  that 
Gregory  of  Nyssa 
frequently  shed  tears 
when  contemplating 
this  composition.  We 
copy  one  from  the 
cemetery  of  St.  Pris- 
cilla. 

We   give    another 
from     the     cemetery 
of    St.     Marcellinus, 
where  the  sacrifice  has  approached  nearer  to  its 
completion,  and  the  victim  is  already  bound. 

*  1  Peter,  iii.  20, 21. 


132 


THE   CATACOMBS   OF   HOME. 


There  are  several  scenes  in  the  life  of  Moses 
which  they  were  accustomed  to  repeat.  One  is, 
Moses  on  Mount  Horeb,  obeying  the  command, 
"  Put  off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place 
whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground."  We  copy 
one  from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Callistus.  Another, 
from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Marcellinus,  is  Moses  re- 
ceiving the  Law,  which  was  to  be  as  a  "school- 
master to  bring  them  to  Christ."     A  third,  from 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 


133 


the  cemetery  of  St.  Priscilla,  is  Moses  pointing  to 
the  pots  of  manna,  as  shadowing  him  who  spake  of 
himself  as  "  bread  from  heaven,"  and  who  gives  us 
spiritual  food,  his  body  broken  for  our  sins. 


The  one  most  often  occurring,  however,  is  Moses 
striking  water  from  the  rock,  significant  of  spiritual 


134 


THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 


blessings  derived  to  the  Church  through  Christ. 
"  And  that  Kock  was  Christ."  We  give  two  illus- 
trations of  this,  of  different  ages.  The  first,  an 
early  one  from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Marcellinus. 
The  second,  from  a  sarcophagus  discovered  in  the 
cemetery  of  St.  Agnes. 


In  a  few  instances  only,  we  meet  with  the  repre- 
sentations of  Job,  sitting  in  his  sorrow,  as  in  the 
above,  from  the  cemetery  of  g>t.  Marcellinus. 

One  of  the  most  spirited  representations  was  the 
translation  of  Elijah,  which  to  them  was  typical 
of  the  ascension  of  their  Lord.  "We  have  selected 
one  from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Callistus,  where  the 
prophet,  as  he  ascends  in  his  chariot  of  fire,  be- 
queaths his  mantle  to  Elisha.  It  will  be  noticed 
that,  at  some  later  period,  two  tombs  have  been  ex- 
cavated in  the  wall  on  which  this  drawing  is  made, 


THE    SYMBOLS    IN    THE    CATACOMBS. 


135 


obliterating  the  head  of  the  prophet,  and  the  lower 
portion  of  the  other  two  figures. 


'  The  three  children  in  the  furnace  at  Babylon 
represented  the  faithful  in  affliction,  and  in  their 
deliverance  were  a  type  of  the  Resurrection.  In 
the  following,  from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Priscilla, 


136 


THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 


they  are  portrayed  rather  at  standing  on  the  fur- 
nace, which  some  one  is  feeding  with  fuel  below. 


There  is  another  in  the  same  cemetery,  as  seen  on 
the  preceding  page,  which  gives  a  much  better  exe- 
cuted representation  of  the  scene,  and  where  the 
dove  is  added,  bringing  to  them  the  olive-branch, 
the  pledge  of  peace  and  victory. 

Daniel  in  the  lions'  den  taught  them  the  same 
lesson  of  suffering  and  deliverance.  The  scene  is 
often  repeated  in  the  most  spirited  maimer.    Take, 


THE    SYMBOLS    IN   THE    CATACOMBS.  1.37 

for  instance,  the  following  from  the  cemetery  of  St. 
Marcellinus. 


Still  more  so  is  the  following  from  the  cemetery 
of  St.  Priscilla. 


"We  have  reserved  to  the  last  of  these  scenes,  that 
in  the  Old  Testament  on  which  the  early  Christians 
most  loved  to  dwell — the  deliverance  of  Jonah. 
Our  Lord  himself  had  mentioned  it  as  a  type  of 
his  own  death  and  resurrection,*  and  it  was,  there- 

*  Matt.,  xiL  40. 


138 


THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


fore,  eagerly  seized  on  by  those'  who,  meeting  for 
worship  where  a  thin  slab  only  separated  them  from 
the  martyred  dead,  were  ready  to  aid  their  trem- 
bling faith  by  any  symbol  which  could  suggest  a 
life  to  come.  It  is  found,  therefore,  in  every  form 
—  the  storm — the  monster  of  the  deep  swallowing 
Jonah — the  prophet  again  restored  to  land,  or  sit- 
ting in  gloom  and  anger  under  the  vine  which  had 
grown  up  about  him.  There  is,  too,  every  style  of 
execution,  from  the  earliest  representations  rudely 
scratched  upon  the  walls,  to  the  more  finished 
sculpture  in  a  later  age  displayed  on  the  sides  of 
the  sarcophagi.  "We  give  one  of  the  former  class 
from  a  broken  slab. 


In  the  following,  from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Pris- 
cilla,  "the  ship*'  is  reduced  to  a  boat,  and  "the 
mariners'*  to  a  single  individual. 

But  it  was  not  only  our  Lord's  resurrection 
which  was  thus  shadowed  forth.  »It  spoke  to  them 
also  of  their  own  course  in  this  life,  and  in  that 
which  is  to  come.  Sometimes,  too,  the  Christian's 
whole  existence  was  condensed,  as  it  were,  into 
one  single  view. 


THE    SYMBOLS    TN    THE    CATACOMBS. 


139 


14:0  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

It  would  be  difficult,  indeed,  for  us  to  realize  the 
trains  of  thought  suggested  to  the  early  Christians, 
when  they  looked  upon  this  single  piece  of  rude 
sculpture  in  which,  in  defiance  of  all  rule,  the 
whole  continuous  history  of  Jonah  was  crowded 
into  one  scene.  To  them,  the  ship,  the  whale,  and 
the  gourd,  represented  the  earth,  the  grave,  and 
Heaven.  And  most  beautiful  was  the  idea  as  they 
shadowed  it  forth.  Tempest-tossed  for  a  time  upon 
life's  stormy  sea,  the  tired  voyager  was  obliged  to 
descend  into  the  jaws  of  the  grave.  There,  for  a 
season,  like  his  Lord,  he  rested.  Yet  death  was 
not  permitted  to  retain  him  in  its  grasp.  The 
grave  "  had  no  dominion  over  him."  It  must  give 
up  its  prey.  "Through  the  grave  and  gate  of 
death,  he  must  pass  to  his  joyful  resurrection." 
But  then,  when  he  has  crossed  the  angry  flood,  he 
rests  in  security  on  the  shore,  while  above  him 
spread  out  the  branches  of  the  tree  of  life,  its  foli- 
age protected  him  by  its  shade,  while  partaking  of 
its  fruit  endowed  him  with  immortal  existence.* 

In  the  cemetery  of  St.  Agnes  is  a  representation 
of  the  five  wise  virgins,  as  described  in  the  parable. 
They  are  walking  in  procession,  as  they  "  went 
forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom."  Each  pne  has  in 
her  hand  a  vessel  to  contain  the  oil  for  her  lamp, 
four  have  palm-branches,  to  denote  that  they  are 
engaged  in  an  act  of  festivity,  while  the  first  carries 
a  candela,  or  candle  made  of  wax,  such  as  were 
used  by  the  poorer  classes  in  Rome,  long  after  the 
houses  of  the  more  wealthy  were  lighted  by  lucer- 
nce,  or  lamps.    Plutarch  (Qucest.  Bom.)  speaks  of 

*  Rev.  xxii.,  2. 


© 
141 


: 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN    THE   CATACOMBS 

their  being  used  at  marriages,  and  as  they  were 
borne  in  procession  by  the  lower  class,  on  the  oc- 
casion of  those  festivities,  they  naturally  intro- 
duced one  of  them  in  illustrating  this  parable. 
The  lamps  probably  were  lighted  when  they  en- 
tered the  house.* 


*  We  were  once  looking  over  Boole's  Hierurgia,  a  standard  Ro- 
mish work,  describing  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  when,  under  the 
head  of  "Blessed,  or  Holy  Water,"  we  met  with  an  engraving  of 
this  picture,  with  the  following  account: — 

"  A  fresco-painting  in  the  Catacombs  at  Rome  attests  the  practice 
among  the  primitive  Christians  of  sprinkling  holy  water  at  their  re- 
ligious assemblies. 

[Here  follows  the  engraving  given  above.] 
In  the  Catacombs  of  St.  Agnes  out  of  the  Walls.     (See  Bottari,  Roma  Sottcrranca, 
torn,  iii.,  p.  171,  tav.  cxlviii.) 

"On  the  ceiling  of  one  of  those  sepulchral  chambers,  which  have 
their  entrance  at  the  Church  of  St.  Agnes  out  of  the  Walls  are  de- 
picted five  figures,  each  holding  in  one  hand  a  vase,  denominated 
situlus,  similar  to  those  in  which  the  holy  water  is  at  present  carried 
about  in  our  ceremonies.  Four  of  these  figures  support  in  the  right 
hand  branches,  as  it  would  appear,  of  the  palm-tree  ;  but  the  fifth 
bears  elevated  a  tufted  aspergillum,  which  exactly  corresponds  to 
the  one  which  is  still  employed  at  the  ceremony  of  sprinkling  holy 
water." — Rock's  Hierurgia,  p.  463. 

We  would  first  remark,  that  Bottari  did  not  write  the  Roma  Sot- 
terranea.  It  was  the  result  of  thirty  years'  labor  by  Bosio,  and  was 
edited  after  his  death  by  Severano.  It  was  translated  into  Latin, 
and  again  published  by  Arringhi,  as  the  Roma  Subterranea.     Bot- 


* 


142 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


On  some  of  the  tombs  we  find  a  figure  portrayed 
with  the  hands  elevated  in  the  act  of  prayer.  It 
was  one  of  the  earliest  symbols  used,  and  remained 
unchanged  even  when  repeated  in  the  more  finished 
fresco-paintings  of  later  times.  In  this  inscription, 
a  female  is  thus  represented,  while  a  dove  stands 
at  her  feet. 


CONSTANTIVS 
D£CL£  CONJVGI 

QUE  YIX1T  MECUM 
ANNOSXXXVffi 


There  were  a  number  of  other  emblems  pictured 
in  the  Catacombs,  which  were  derived  from  allu- 

tari  wrote,  "  Scidture  e  pitture  sagre"  (see  preface  to  this  volume). 
We  confess  we  were  rather  startled  at  this  picture  and  its  plausi- 
ble exposition,  as  in  none  of  our  own  researches  on  this  subject  had 
we  found  any  trace  of  the  use  of  holy  water.  However,  we  turned, 
as  directed,  to  the  Roma  Subterranca,  and  there,  at  their  own  ref- 
erence, we  did  find  this  picture  engraved.  But  unfortunately  for 
them,  in  this  work,  the  joint  production  of  several  distinguished 
Roman  writers,  it  is  described  as  the  five  wise  virgins.  The  "  tuft- 
ed aspergillum"  proves  to  be  a  candella,  while  a  few 
strokes  of  the  engraver  had  rendered  the  flame  more 
similar  to  a  tuft  To  give  the  title  of  the  picture  in 
the  very  words  used  in  the  Roma  Subterranea —  "  Pru- 
dentes  quinque  virgines  olei  vasa  cum  lampadibus  def- 
erentes"  (five  wise  virgins  carrying  vessels  of  oil  with 
lamps). 

We  have  had  some  practice  in  detecting  Romish  frauds,  yet  we 
never  remember  to  have  seen  one  more  beautiful  than  this  in  its  de- 
sign and  execution. 


THE   SYMBOLS    IN    THE   CATACOMBS. 


14:3 


sions  in  scripture.  Of  these,  the  dove,  as  intro- 
duced above,  was  often  used.  It  seems  the  most 
natural  one  that  could  be  adopted,  both  from  the 
recollection  of  our  Lord's  baptism,  and  from  its 
character  harmonizing  so  well  with  that  faith  in 
which  it  was  a  symbol.  We  wonder  not,  then, 
that  it  was  used  by  the  primitive  Christians  to  em- 
body their  ideas  of  gentleness  and  peace.  In  some 
cases,  indeed,  the  word  pkace  is  added,  while  the 
dove  bears  also  an  olive  branch,  derived  undoubt- 
edly from  the  history  of  Noah,  as  in  the  following. 


PAX 


As  this  was  one  of  the  earliest  used,  there  is  no 
emblem  which  is  more  rudely  represented,  as  in 
the  following. 


144 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


"FEU  CI 

^SKJIMK 


In  the  following,  the  praying  figure  is  also  repre- 
sented. 


NEME.' 
CAUNO*   BER»EtfTl 


It  is  often  united  with  other  emblems,  as  in  the 
following  epitaph,  where  the  fish  also  is  portrayed. 


In  addition  to  these  were  the  palm — which  we 
have  already  noticed ;  the  stag,  as  represented  in 
the  picture  we  have  given  of  the  baptism  of  our 
Lord,  by  John,  to  show  "  the  hart  which  thirsteth 
after  the  water  brooks ;"  the  hare,  the  timid  Chris- 
tian hunted  by  persecutors ;  the  lion,  the  emblem 
of  the  tribe  of  Juda  ;  and  the  phcenix  and  peacock, 
shadowing  forth  the  resurrection. 


THE   SVMBOLS    IN   THE   CATACOMBS. 


145 


The  cock  is  frequently  introduced  as  the  emblem 
of  vigilance,  derived  from  the  reproof  of  St.  Peter, 
where  we  have  shown  it  portrayed.  On  many  of 
the  tombs,  too,  we  have  the  crown  as  the  symbol 
of  victory.    The  following  is  often  its  form. 


It  is  here  joined  with  the  monogram  of  our  Lord's 
name,  as  it  is  on  this  tomb,  where  it  is  also  united 
with  the  dove.     (See  page  146.) 

We  have  thus  given  all  the  principal  symbols 
found  in  the  Catacombs,  to  enable  the  reader  to 
form  a  clear  idea  of  those  dark  retreats  in  which 

7 


146 


THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 


iflcYRlACi.  PVLCISSIM>€  DEPOSIT/* | 

?,N  PACE  V»XIT.  ANNOS    XXXV  ' 
_»D\BVS   MARTIN  ^40^ 


the  infant  Church  of  Rome  was  nurtured  into 
strength  and  manhood.  It  is  generally  easy  to 
tell  the  age  of  an  epitaph.  The  earliest  were  in- 
variably rude  in  the  extreme,  while  they  gradually 
improved  as  the  Church  became  more  free  from 
persecution,  and  its  members  were  enabled  in  peace 
and  safety  to  lay  their  brethren  to  their  rest.  There 
is  a  wide  difference,  therefore,  between  the  hastily 
scratched  emblems  of  the  first  century,  and  the 
more  carefully  executed  representations  of  Scrip- 
ture scenes  in  the  fourth.  Yet,  with  regard  to  all 
of  them,  we  can  not  but  adopt  the  language  of 
Lord  Lindsay :  "  Considered  as  works  of  art,  it 
must  be  confessed,  they  are  but  poor  productions 
— the  meagerness  of  invention  only  equalled  by 
the  feebleness  of  execution — inferior,  generally 
speaking,  to  the  worst  specimens  of  contemporary 
heathen  art.  There  is  little  to  wonder  at  in  this, 
when  we  remember  the  oppressed  condition  of  the 
Christians  at  the  time,  and  (I  am  afraid  I  must  add) 
the  poverty  of  imagination  which  uniformly  char- 
acterized Eome,  even  in  her  palmy  period."* 
But  it  is  with  far  different  views  from  those  of 


*  Christian  Art,  vol.  i.,  p.  30. 


THE    SYMBOLS   IN   THE   CATACOMBS.  147 

artistic  criticism  that  we  have  dwelt  upon  these 
symbols.  It  was  in  these  illustrations  that  the 
primitive  Christians  wrote  their  creed,  and  we 
wished  to  show  the  purity  and  simplicity  of  their 
faith.  Among  these  thousands  of  emblems  and 
scenes,  there  are  none  which  Countenance  the 
errors  having  their  origin  in  later  days,  and  which 
still  deform  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  early  Chris- 
tians may  often  have  been  singularly  unskilful  in 
embodying  the  thought  they  wished  to  express,  yet 
still  the  idea  was  right  and  in  accordance  with 
Scripture  truth.  Considering,  indeed,  the  station 
and  character  of  the  early  converts — looked  upon 
by  the  rest  of  the  world  as  "  the  offscouring  of  all 
things,"  just  reclaimed  from  heathenism — listening 
to  a  teaching  which  was  often  interrupted,  and 
whose  benefits  they  enjoyed  at  the  peril  of  their 
lives,  it  is  truly  wonderful  how  little  of  the  errors 
of  their  lately-abandoned  systems  %was  mingled 
with  their  faith.  But  we  see  that  these  representa- 
tions were  not  executed  by  those  revelling  in  luxu- 
rious ease.  They  tell  of  times  of  peril  and  conflict. 
They  show  the  purity  of  an  age  which  was  refined 
in  the  furnace  of  affliction,  and  in  suffering  and  fear 
clung  with  steadfastness  to  the  essential  verities  of 
the  faith. 


VII. 


MINISTRY  AND  RITES  OF  THE  EARLY  CHURCH. 


Tii. 

MINISTRY   AND   RITES    OF   THE   EARLY   CHURCH. 

We  should  naturally  expect  in  the  burial  places 
of  the  early  Christians,  to  find  some  recognition  of 
the  different  orders  of  the  ministry.  Nor  in  this 
case  are  we  disappointed.  It  is  generally,  it  is 
true,  a  mere  reference,  for  the  inscriptions  are  too 
brief  to  admit  of  more.  Yet  these  few  words  con- 
firm the  views  entertained  by  the  great  body  of  the 
Christian  world  with  regard  to  the  polity  and  gov- 
ernment of  the  early  Church. 

We  turn  first  to  the  office  of  bishops.  On  the 
walls  of  the  Lapidarian  Gallery  is  an  epitaph  which 
clearly  indicates  this  rank,  by  the  use  of  the  word 
Papa  or  Father,  which  in  that  age  was  applied  to 
the  bishops.  For  instance,  in  all  the-  epistles  ad- 
dressed by  the  Eoman  clergy  to  Cyprian,  bishop 
of  Carthage,  he  is  styled  "  the  blessed  Father 
(Papa)  Cypri."  We  know  not  who  the  bishop  was 
over  whom  this  inscription  was  written,  yet  the 
reference  to  a  perpetual  seat,  and  the  title  papa 
sanctissi?nusJ  in  the  phraseology  of  that  age  show 


152  THE   CATACOMBS  OF   ROME. 

episcopal  rank.     The  consulship  to  which  it  refers 
fixes  the  date  at  A.  D.  392.* 

PERPETVAM  SEDEM  NVTRITOR  POSSIDES  IPSE 
HIC  MERIT VS  FINEM  MAGNIS  DEFVNCTE  PERICLIS 
HIC  REQVIEM  FELIX  SVMIS  COGENTIBVS  ANNIS 
HIC  POSITVS  PAPA  SANTIMIOO  VIXIT  ANNIS  LXX 
DEPOSITVS  DOMINO  NOSTRO  ARCADIO  II  ET  FL 
RVINO 
VYCCSS  NONAS  NOBEMB. 
You,  our  nursing  father,  occupy  a  perpetual  seat,  being  dead,  and 
deserving  an  end  of  your  great  dangers.     Here   happy,  you  find 
rest,  bowed  down  with  years.     Here  lies  the  most  holy  father,  who 
lived  70  years.     Buried  on  the  nones  of  November,  our  Lords  Arca- 
dius,  for  the  second  time,  and  Flavius  Rufinus,  being  consuls. 

The  following  inscription  (Arringhi,  lib.  iii.,  cap. 
iii.)  records  the  burial  place  of  one  of  the  second 
order  in  the  ministry : — 

LOCVS  BASILI  PRESB  ET  FELICITATI  EIVS 
SIBI  FECERVNT. 

The  burial-place  of  Basilus  the  Presbyter,  and  Felicitas  his  wife. 
They  made  it  for  themselves. 

So  also  this,  which  we  likewise  copy  from  Ar- 
ringhi : — 

LOCVS  VALENTINI  PRESB.       /?f 

The  place  of  Valentinian,  the  presbyter. 

In  another  case,  there  is  a  reference  merely  to 
the  pastoral  office  of  the  departed  : — 

ACATIVS  •  PASTOR. 
Acatius,  the  pastor. 

This  brief  inscription  is  inscribed  upon  the  tomb 
of  one  of  the  lowest  order  of  the  ministry  : — 

*  Maitland,  p.  185. 


KITES,    ETC.,    OF   THE   EARLY   CHURCH.  153 

LOCVS  EXVPERANTI 
DIACON. 

The  place  of  Exuperantius,  the  deacon. 

But  there  were  other  offices  in  the  early  Church, 
not  always  included  in  the  ranks  of  the  ministry, 
but  often  serving  as  a  preparation  for  it.  Such  are 
the  lectors,  or  readers,  whose  duty  it  was  to  read 
the  Scriptures  aloud  in  the  Church.  It  was  an 
honorable  office  to  which  persons  of  the  greatest 
dignity  were  sometimes  appointed.  Thus,  Julian, 
the  apostate,  was  reader  in  the  church  at  Nicome- 
dia.*  They  were  sometimes  admitted  to  this  office 
by  a  kind  of  ordination,  as  Cyprian  speaks  of  one 
who  had  been  a  confessor,  and  whom  he  had  "  or- 
dained to  the  office  of  lector." 

In  some  cases,  they  were  appointed  at  a  very 
early  age.  Parents  dedicated  their  children  to  the 
service  of  God  from  their  infancy,  and  they  were 
then  trained  and  disciplined  in  these  inferior  offices, 
to  prepare  them  for  higher  usefulness  in  the  Church. 
Repeated  instances  are  given  of  their  being  appoint- 
ed at  the  age  of  seven  and  eight  years,  and  a  writer 
of  that  day,  in  describing  the  barbarity  of  the  Yan- 
dals  in  murdering  the  clergy  of  Carthage,  adds  — 
"  Among  them  were  many  infant  readers."f  At  a 
later  period  this  was  altered,  when  by  one  of  Jus- 
tinian's Novels,  it  was  "  forbidden  that  any  one  be 
ordained  reader  before  he  was  completely  eighteen 
years  old." 

This  explanation  will  enable  us  to  understand  the 
two  following  inscriptions,   and    particularly  the 

*  Socrat.,  lib.  iii.,  c.  1.  f  Bing.  Orig.  Eccles.,  lib.  iii.,  c.  5. 

7* 


154  THE   CATACOMBS   OF  ROME. 

youthfulness  of  the  lector  commemorated  in  the 
second.  The  Velabrum,  where  he  was  employed, 
is  the  part  of  Borne  in  which  are  situated  the  arch 
of  Janus,  and  the  Cloaca  Maxima. 

CLAVDIVS-ATTICIA 

NVS- LECTOR 

ET  CLAVDIA 

FELICISSIMA 

COIVX. 

Claudius  Atticianus,  the  reader,  and  Claudia  Felicissima,  his  wife. 

LOCVS  AVGVSTI 
LECTORIS  DEBELA 
BRV 
DEPSVRICA  y  XGKALy 

AVGy 

QVE  VIXIT  ANKOS 

PMXII  CONS 

SEBERINI. 

The   place  of  Augustus,  lector  in   the  Velabrum,  buried  in  a 

mound,  on  the  15th  Kalends  of  August.     He  lived  twelve  years 

more  or  less.     In  the  consulship  of  Severinus. 

Another  order  in  the  Church  in  those  days  was 
that  of  the  exorcists.  We  know,  both  from  Scrip- 
ture and  the  writings  of  the  early  fathers,  that 
Satan  in  that  age  exercised  strange  influence  over 
the  bodies  of  men,  while  miraculous  power  was 
granted  to  the  members  of  the  Church,  to  cast  him 
out.  At  first,  it  is  supposed,  this  power  was  pos- 
sessed by  any  of  the  followers  of  our  Lord,  as  Ter- 
tullian  challenges  the  heathen,  that  "if  they  would 
bring  any  person  possessed  with  a  devil  into  open 
court  before  the  magistrate,  any  ordinary  Christian 
should  make  him  confess  that  he  was  a  devil."* 

*  ApologeticuSy  cap.  23. 


RITES,    ETC.,    OF   THE   EARLY    CHURCH.  155 

But  with  the  withdrawal  of  extraordinary  and 
miraculous  power,  which  probably  took  place  by 
degrees,  and  not  at  the  same  time  in  all  places,  the 
order  of  the  exorcists  became  a  settled  one  in  the 
Church.  We  find  this  title  given  to  an  individual 
at  the  close  of  this  inscription : — 

IANVARIVS  •  EXORCISTA 
S1BI  •  ET  •  CONIVGI :  FECIT.    ' 
Januarius,  the  exorcist,  made  this  for  himself  and  his  wife. 

The  order  of  the  fossors  is  one  less  known  at  the 
present  day.  They  were  an  inferior  order  of  the 
clergy  in  the  primitive  Church,  whose  business  was 
to  take  care  of  funerals,  and  provide  for  the  decent 
interment  of  the  dead,  particularly  of  the  poor ;  an 
office,  whose  duties,  in  times  of  persecution,  were 
not  discharged  without  peril.  "The  first  order 
among„the  clergy,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "  is  that  of 
the  fossarii,  who,  after  the  example  of  holy  Tobias, 
are  admonished  to  bury  the  dead."*  They  re- 
ceived their  name  of  fossarii  from  their  digging 
the  graves.  Useful  as  their  office  must  have  been 
in  all  parts  of  the  Church,  it  was  particularly  so 
among  those  whose  lives  were  so  much  spent  in 
those  galleries  of  stone,  from  which  their  last  rest- 
ing-place was  to  be  hollowed  out.  We  copy  three 
inscriptions,  in  the  first  of  which  the  word  fossor 
has  been  misspelt. 

TERENTIVS-FOSOR 

PRIMITIVE  •  COIVGI 

ET  •  SIBI. 

Terentins,  the  foss"or.     For  Primitiva,  his  wife,  and  himself. 

*  8.  Hieron.  de  Sept.  Gradibus  Feci. 


156  THE   CATACOMBS   OF  ROME. 

SEELIX  FOSSOR 

IXIT  ANNIS  LXIII. 

Felix,  the  fossor,  lived  sixty-three  years. 

MAIO  FOSSORL 
To  Maius,  the  fossor. 

There  were  formerly  many  paintings  in  the  Cata- 
combs, the  rude  attempts  of  survivors  to  represent 
the  occupations  of  those  they  had  here  laid  to  their 
last  rest.  Among  these  none  were  more  numerous 
than  delineations  of  the  fossors,  sometimes  employed 
in  excavating  an  overhanging 'rock,  with  a  lamp 
suspended  near  them,  as  in  the  following. 


One  of  them  in  particular,  which  was  found  by 
Boldetti,  bears  over  it  the  inscription :— 


KITES,    ETC.,    OF   THE   EARLY   CHURCH.  157 

DIOGENES  •  FOSSOR  ■  IN  :  PACE  •  DEPOSITVS 
OCTABV  •  KALENDAS  -  OCTOBRIS. 

Diogenes,  the  fossor,  buried  in  peace,  on  the  eighth  kalends  of 
October. 

It  represents  the  fossor  standing,  surrounded  by 
all  the  implements  of  his  calling.  In  his  hands  are 
the  pickaxe  and  lamp,  the  latter  hanging  by  the 
chain  and  spike  by  which  he  was  accustomed  to 
suspend  it  to  the  rock.  At  his  feet  lay  the  cutting 
instruments  and  compasses,  used  for  marking  out 
the  graves.  He  seems  to  be  standing  in  a  circular 
chapel  surrounded  by  tombs ;  on  different  parts  of 
his  woollen  tunic  is  figured  the  cross,  and  on  each 
side  of  the  arch  above  him  is  represented  the  dove 
with  the  olive-branch,  the  usual  emblem  of  Chris- 
tian peace. 

We  copy  two  more  of  these  representations,  se- 
lecting the  most  simple  we  can  find.  In  the  first, 
the  fossor  is  portrayed  digging  with  a  spade.  In 
the  second,  he  is  cutting  down  a  rock. 


158 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   HOME. 


There  is  another  given  by  Arringhi,  which  con- 
tains his  name  and  occupation.  Here  the  word 
fosrotfimvs  is  supposed  to  stand  for  fossor  trophy- 
mvs. 


FOSROTFIMVS  J> 


In  the  early  Church,  there  was  a  class  of  females 
who,  separating  themselves  entirely  from  all  world- 
ly interests,  devoted  their  days  to  the  service  of 
God.  Sometimes  it  was  in  widowhood;  and.it  is 
to  them  that  St.  Paul  refers,  when  he  describes  the 
qualifications  necessary  for  those  who  would  thus 
devote  themselves  for  life  to  Christian  labors: 
"  Let  not  a  widow  be  taken  into  the  number  under 
threescore  years  old,  having  been  the  wife  of  one 
man,  well-reported  of  for  good  works ;  if  she  have 
brought  up  children,  if  she  have  lodged  strangers, 
if  she  have  washed  the  saints'  feet,  if  she  have  re- 


RITES,    ETC.,    OF   THE   EARLY   CHURCH.  159 

lieved  the  afflicted,  if  she  have  diligently  followed 
every  good  work.  But  the  younger  widows  refuse  : 
for  when  they  have  begun  to  wax  wanton  against 
Christ,  they  will  marry ;  having  damnation,  be- 
cause they  have  cast  off  their  first  faith."*  The 
council  of  Chalcedon  forbid  any  to  be  admitted  to 
the  order  of  consecrated  women,  called  in  that  age 
ministrce,  under  the  age  of  forty.  It  is  for  such  a 
one  that  the  following  inscription  was  written  : — 

OC-TA-VI-AE-MA-TRO-NA- 
VI-DV-AE-DE-I. 

To  Octavia,  a  matron,  widow  of  God. 

~Noy  was  this  confined  to  those  alone  whose  state 
was  that  of  widowhood.  For  there  were  others,  too, 
who  were  willing,  in  singleness  and  voluntary  pov- 
erty, to  forego  the  comforts  of  domestic  life,  that 
they  might  have  nothing  to  impede  them  in  their 
Christian  labors.  "We  can  easily  imagine,  in  a 
state  of  society  like  that  of  primitive  times,  when 
the  rage  of  persecution  was  constantly  rending  the 
dearest  ties,  there  must  have  been  many  whose 
only  earthly  hope  was  swept  away,  and  who  would 
gladly  devote  themselves  for  the  remainder  of  their 
days  to  the  self-denying  duties  of  their  faith.  These 
are  they  to  whose  voluntary  consecration  to  a  life 
of  sacrifice  and  toil  the  advocates  of  Christianity 
were  accustomed  to  point,  in  comparison  with  the 
half  dozen  Yestal  Yirgins,  the  only  parallel  which 
paganism  could  furnish.f  "We  copy  an  inscription 
referring  to  one  of  this  class. 

*  1  Tim.,  v.  9.  f  Frud.  cont.  Symmachum,  lib.  2. 


160  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 


IURIA.  HELPHIS 

VIRGO  DEVOTA 


Furia  Elpis,  a  consecrated  virgin. 

There  is  another  of  the  same  kind,  given  by  Ar- 
ringhi  (lib.  iii.,  c.  xi.,  p.  272). 

HOC  EST 

SEPVLCHRVM  SANCTIS 

LVCIN^E  VIRGINIS. 

This  is  the  sepulchre  of  the  holy  Virgin  Lucina. 

The  following  epitaph  is  that  of  a  catechumen, 
for  in  primitive  times  the  training  of  the  Church 
began  from  the  earliest  age. 

VCILIANVS  BACIO  VALERIO 

QVI  BISIT-AN  VIII- 

VIII  •  DIES  XXII  CATECVM. 

Ucilianus,  to  Bacius  Valerius,  a  catechumen,  who  lived  nine  years, 
eight  months,  and  twenty-two  days. 

In  the  Catacombs  of  St.  Agnes  are  two  curious 
crypts,  which  are  stated  to  have  been  used  for  the 
training  of  the  catechumens.  Soon  after  entering 
this  cemetery,  we  come  to  two  square  vaulted 
chambers,  one  of  wTJiich  contains  a  massive  stone 
chair,  which  is  said  to  have  been  occupied  by  the 
priest  or  catechist  in  giving  instruction.     In  the 


KITES,   ETC.,    OF   THE   EARLY   CHURCH.  161 

other,  we  find  a  chair  on  each  side  of  the  doorway 
leading  into  the  inner  crypts.  They  are  hewn  out 
of  the  solid  tufa  rock,  while  there  is  a  bench  of 
the  same  material  running  round  the  wall  of  the 
apartment.  We  give  a  view  of  the  latter,  copied 
from  Arringhi  (lib.  iv.,  cli.  xxv.,  p.  81). 


Tradition  states  that  this  second  chair  marks  the 
chamber  set  apart  for  the  catechizing  of  females, 
and  was  probably  used  by  the  deaconess  in  whose 
charge  they  were  placed.  The  position  of  these 
chambers  near  the  entrance  of  the  Catacombs, 
would  afford  the  disciples  easy  access  to  their 
teacher,  and  these  particulars  combine  to  strength- 
en the  view  that  these  crypts  were  probably  for 
this  primary  teaching  given  to  catechumens. 

We  may,  however,*go  a  step  further  back  than 
this ;  for  in  some  of  the  chapels  in  the  Catacombs 
fonts  have  been  discovered,  showing  that  the  bap- 
tisma}  rite  was  performed  in  these  secret  retreats. 


162  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

The  following  inscription  from  one  of  these  in  the 
Lapidarian  Gallery,  seems  intended  to  convey  the 
same  idea  as  the  words — "Arise,  and  be  baptized, 
and  wash  away  thy  sins."* 

CORPORIS  ET  CORDIS  MACVLAS  VITALI 

•PVRGAT  ET  OMNE  SIMVL .  ABLVITVND. 

u 

The  living  stream  cleanses  the  spots  of  body  as  well  as  of  heart, 
and  at  the  same  time  washes  away  all  (sin). 

But  there  is  one  important  truth  which  we  think 
we  learn  from  these  inscriptions,  and  that  is,  the 
fact  of  Infant  Baptism.  We  meet  with  the  epi- 
taphs of  children  who  are  called  neophytes,  a  title 
which,  of  course,  could  not  have  been  bestowed 
upon  them  unless  they  had  been  received  by  bap- 
tism into  the  Church.  The  age  at  which  they  died 
precludes  the  idea  of  that  rite  having  been  admin- 
istered to  them  in  any  way  but  as  infants : — 

ROMANO  NEOFITO 

BENEMERENTI  QVI  VI 

XIT-ANNOS-VIII- 

•To  Romanus,  the  well-deserving  neophyte,  who  lived  eight  years. 


•FL  •  IOVINA ••  QVAE  •  VIX 
•  ANNIS  •  TRIB V$  •  D  •  XXX 
•  NEOFITA  •  IN  PACE  •  XI  .K. 

Flavia  Jovina,  who  lived  three  years  and  thirty  days,  a  neophyte. 
In  peace  (she  died),  the  eleventh  kalends. 

*  Acts,  xxii.,  16. 


RITES,    ETC.,    OF   THE    EARLY    CIIURCH.  163 

TEG  •  CANDIDVS  NEOF 
Q  VXT-M  XXI -DP  NON 

SEP. 

The  tile  of  Candidua  the  neophyte,  who  lived  twenty-one  montha, 
buried  on  the  nones  of  September. 

There  is  but  one  more  custom  of  the  primitive 
Church. which  we  shall  illustrate  from  these  inscrip- 
tions. In  those  early  ages,  the  followers  of  our  Lord 
held  at  times  a  common  feast  where  all  met  together 
as  disciples  of  the  same  master,  and  intended  to  show 
the  chain  of  brotherhood  which  bound  them  in  one 
body.  It  was  called  the  Agape,  or  love-feast.  The 
spirit  which  originated  it  was  beautiful,  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  every  precept  of  our  faith,  showing 
that  "  the  rich  and  the  poor  meet  together,  and  the 
Lord  is  the  maker  of  them  all."  It  generally  either 
preceded  or  followe'd  the  administration  of  the  Eu- 
charist ;  and  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  this  con- 
nection which  led  to  the  abuses  St.  Paul  condemned, 
when  he  wrote :  "  When  ye  come  together,  there- 
fore, into  one  place,  this  is  not  to  eat  the  Lord's 
supper.  For  in  eating,  every  one  taketh  before 
other  his  own  supper :  and  one  is  hungry  and  an- 
other is  drunken.  What,  have  ye  not  houses  to  eat 
and  to  drink  in?  or  despise -ye  the  church  of  God, 
and  shame  them  that  have  not  ?"*  St.  Jude,  too, 
mentions  it  in  the  passage — "These  are  spots  in 
your  agapse,"  &  ran  aymats  vpw  —  translated  in  our  ver- 
sion, "  feasts  of  charity."f 

Tertullian,  in  the  second  century,  in  a  single  pas- 
sage describes  its  object  and  the  manner  of  its  ad- 
ministration :  "  Our  supper,  which  you  accuse  of 

*  1  Cor.  xi.,  20.  f  st-  Jude»  v.  12. 


164:  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   KOME. 

luxury,  shows  its  object  in  its  very  name.  For  it 
is  called  aya**,  which  among  the  Greeks  signifies 
Love.  Whatever  charge  we  are  at,  it  is  a  gain,  as 
it  is  an  expense  upon  the  account  of  piety.  For 
therewith  we  relieve  and  refresh  the  poor.  There 
is  nothing  vile  or  immodest  committed  in  it.  For 
we  do  not  sit  down  before  we  have  first  offered  up 
prayer  to  God.  We  eat  only  to  satisfy  hunger,  and 
drink  only  so  much  as  becomes  modest  persons. 
We  regale  ourselves  in  such  a  manner,  as  that  we 
remember  still  that  we  are  to  worship  God  by  night. 
We  discourse  as  in  the  presence  of  God,  knowing 
that  he  hears  us.  Then,  after  water  to  wash  our 
hands,  and  lights  brought  in,  every  one  is  moved  to 
sing  some  hymn  to  God,  either  out  of  Scripture,  or 
as  he  is  able,  of  his  own  composing.  Prayer  again 
concludes  our  feast."* 

As,  however,  the  Church  grew  and  extended,  and 
the  days  of  persecution  passing  away,  crowds  half- 
Christianized  entered  its  fold  from  the  heathen 
world,  this  simple  feast  degenerated  into  an  occa- 
sion of  revelry,  which  brought  scandal  on  the  faith. 
Therefore  it  was  that  St.  Augustine  uttered  his  in- 
dignant charge  against  some  in  the  African  Church 
—  "The  martyrs  hear  your  bottles:  the  martyrs 
hear  your  drunken  revels."  In  the  fifth  century, 
therefore,  this  rite  was  entirely  abolished,  as  a  cus- 
tom unsuited  to  the  altered  condition  of  the  Church. 

In  a  retired  crypt  of  the  Catacombs  of  St.  Mar- 
cellinus,  is  a  rudely-designed  picture  (which  we 
copy  from  Arringhi,  lib.  iv.,  cap.  xiv.)  representing 
this  ancient  rite,  and  more  interesting  to  us,  there- 

*  Apol.,  cap.  xxxix. 


RITES,    ETC.,   OF  THE  EARLY   CHURCH.  165 

fore,  as  a  relic  of  Christian  antiquity,  than  the  tri- 
umphal arches  and  trophies  which  remain  of  the 
faded  grandeur  of  Imperial  Rome. 


In  the  foreground,  at  the  end  of  the  table,  are 
seated  two  matrons,  who  preside,  personifying 
Peace  and  Love,  with  their  names  written  above 
their  heads  in  the  Etruscan  fashion.  At  the  table 
itself  three  guests  are  seated,  while  a  page  supplies 
them  with  food  from  a  small  round  table  in  front, 
containing  a  lamb  and  a  cup.  The  inscriptions  are 
abbreviated,  but  should  be  read  thus :  "Irene,  da 
caldam  aquanC  (Peace,  give  hot  water)  ;*  "Agape, 
misce  mi  vinum"  (Love,  mix  me  wine). 

The  representations  of  these  solemn  feasts  was 
often  repeated,  in  both  sculptures  and  paintings, 
showing  how  general  in  that  age  was  the  custom. 

*  The  ancients  always  mixed  water  with  win3.  This  was  some- 
times iced  and  sometimes  hot     Thus  Martial  says: — 

"  Caldam  poscis  aquam,  sed  nondum  frigida  venit." 
You  ask  for  hot  water,  but  the  cold  has  not  yet  come. 


166  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   KOME. 

It  was  founded  certainly  on  an  .unworldly  idea,  and 
one  which  Christianity  alone  could  have  origina- 
ted. Look  then  at  such  an  assembly,  as  one  by 
one,  in  silence  and  by  stealth,  they  gather  at  their 
place  of  meeting.  It  is  in  the  Eternal  City,  which 
is  crimson  with  the  blood  of  the  earliest  martyrs, 
and  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  a  forbidden 
sound  within  its  walls.  But  scattered  through  its 
crowded  thousands — even  within  sight  of  its  Pan- 
theon of  gods — are  the  true-hearted,  and  joyfully 
they  turn  to  their  place  of  worship  when  the  ap- 
pointed time  has  come.  Secretly  they  pass  the 
gates,  and  steal  across  the  Esquiline  Hill,  and  de- 
scending into  the  Catacombs,  thread  their  way 
through  its  narrow  passages.  The  barriers  of  race 
and  country — of  rank  and  caste — are  broken 
down,  and  for  the  first  time  in  the  world's  history 
all  are  brethren.  The  swarthy  Syrian  is  there — 
the  8lave  indeed  of  an  earthly  master — yet  here  a 
freeman  in  Christ  Jesus  and  a  brother  beloved  for 
the  faith's  sake.  Beside  him  is  the  intellectual 
Athenian,  but  he  has  learned  a  nobler  philosophy 
than  that  of  Greece,  and  found  that  the  truest  wis- 
dom was  to  bow  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  And 
there,  too,  is  the  Jewish  priest,  shocked  no  longer 
by  the  presence  of  "  they  of  the  uncircumcision," 
but  overcoming  the  narrow  exclusiveness  of  his 
race,  prepared  to  welcome  the  Jewish  converts 
around  him  as  inheritors  of  the  same  promises. 
It  is  an  hour  with  them  of  holy  joy,  when  the 
trials  of  the  outward  world  are  forgotten,  its  cares 
thrown  aside,  and  their  souls  strengthened  for  that 
coming  future  in  which  they  know  not  what  shall 


RITES,    ETC.,    OF   THE   EARLY    CHURCH. 


167 


await  them.  And  when  they  part,  they  realize  that 
before  they  meet  again,  some  among  them  may  win 
the  crown  of  martyrdom. 

It  would  be  interesting,  did  our  space  allow,  to 
copy  some  of  the  figures  in  clerical  dress  portrayed 
in  these  frescos.  We  have  mentioned  in  the  first 
chapter,  the  resemblance  which  struck  Mr.  Cole, 
between  these  and  the  garments  now  in  use  in  the 
Church.  The  resemblance  is  certainly  much  great- 
er to  our  surplice  and  stole  than  to  the  short  gar- 
ment used  under  that  name  in  the  modern  Church 
of  Rome.  We  will  give  one  as  a  specimen,  taken 
from  the  cemetery  of  St.  Callistus.  It  is  of  a 
priest  in  the  attitude  of  prayer,,  and  we  think  the 
fact  we  have  mentioned  will  at  once  strike  the 
most  casual  observer. 


Thus  it  is  that  we  glean  from  these  memorials  on 
the  rock  and  in  the  caverns,  the  characteristics  of 
the  early  Church.      Yet  while  everything  speaks 


168  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

to  us  of  trial  and  suffering — of  a  Church  for  which 
concealment  in  "  the  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth" 
was  necessary  —  all  tells  also  of  peace  and  purity 
within  its  own  borders.  The  foot  of  pride  had  not 
yet  come  nigh  to  hurt  its  members,  nor  worldly 
prosperity  cast  its  blight  over  the  freshness  of 
their  early  faith.  And  in  this  way  it  was,  that 
the  true-hearted  learned  their  lessons  of  patience 
and  courage,  and  were  prepared  to  go  forth  and 
inherit  the  earth. 


VIII. 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME. 


"veit-Sr 


ffJUVE 


If  ^ 


VIII. 

THE  CHANGES  OF*  MODERN  ROME. 

The  contrast  is  a  strange  one  as  we  emerge  from 
'these  gloomy  retreats  to  the  light  and  glory  of  an 
Italian  day.  The  breath  of  flowers,  as  it  comes  up 
to  us  on  the  scented  air,  is  doubly  grateful  from 
the  hot,  oppressive  atmosphere  we  have  breathed 
in  these  close  windings.  Yet  how  different  the 
prospect  which  meets  our  eyes  from  that  on  which 
the  early  Christians  looked,  when  in  fear  and  trem- 
bling they  came  forth  from  these  hiding  places! 
The  "  Seven  Hills"  are  there,  and  the  wide  plain 
still  stretches  out  before  us,  and  yonder  are  the 
purple  Alban  hills  glowing  in  the  beauty  which 
has  marked  them  for  two  thousand  years ;  yet  all 
else  is  changed.  The  Campagna,  once  alive  with 
the  habitations  of  countless  thousands,  is  now  deso- 
late and  waste.  The  marble  temples  of  ancient 
Rome  have  passed  away — the  mouldering  relics 
only  are  before  us  —  and  instead  of  the  life  and  en- 
ergy which  marked  the  Mistress  of  the  World,  an  air 
of  venerable  antiquity  rests  upon  the  city,  and  si- 
lence has  gathered  over  the  wide-spread  landscape. 


172  THE   CATACOMBS   OF  EOME. 

Yet  stranger  far  than  these  outward  and  physical 
changes,  is  that  which  shows  the  mighty  revolution 
which  has  taken  place  in  faith,  since  Eome  was  the 
centre  and  home  of  the  old  mythology,  and  her  soil 
was  drunk  with  the  blood  of  the  early  saints.  The 
persecutors,  for  fear  of  whom  the  Christians  then 
retreated  to  these  dark  crypts — where  are  they? 
There  is  the  arch  of  Titus,  whose  sculptured  panels 
tell  the  story  of  Judea's  fall ;  and  as  we  see  the  tri- 
umphal procession,  and  the  captives  bearing  the 
sacred  vessels  of  the  temple  amid  their  mocking 
conquerors,  we  learn  how  powerless  have  become 
the  earliest  enemies  of  the  faith. 

And  where  is  the  kingly  power  of  Rome,  from 
which  came  forth  those  edicts  condemning  the 
faithful  to  the  wild  beasts  and  the  sword  ?  Look  at 
that  hill,  which  lies  between  us  and  the  walls.  It 
seems  covered  with  a  mass  of  mighty  ruins,  as  if 
destruction  there  had  fallen  on  some  splendid  city 
and  changed  its  stately  magnificence  to  crumbling 
walls  and  prostrate  columns.  That  is  the  Palatine 
Hill,  and  those  are  the  ruins  of  Nero's  Golden 
House ;  and  there  the  trees  twine  their  roots 
through  marble  floors  once  trodden  by  the  Mas- 
ters of  the  World,  and  the  tall  grass  and  rank  weeds 
wave  above  them  in  wild  luxuriance.  A  solitary 
building  raises  its  white  walls  in  the  midst  of  all 
this  desolation,  hourly  the  sound  of  a  bell  is  wafted 
through  the  air,  and  those  who  are  lingering  round 
hear  a  low  chant  borne  faintly  to  their  ears ;  for 
that  is  the  monastery  of  the  Capuchin  monks,  and 
their  prayers  and  anthems  have  replaced  the  sen- 
sual re  veilings  of  the  Caesars. 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.       173 

And  the  ancient  paganism,  too,  like  the  civil 
power  which  supported  it,  has  vanished  as  a 
dream.  There  is  the  Capitoline  hill,  which  once 
had  its  fifty  shrines,  yet  no  smoke  ascends  from  its 
height — no  altars  are  seen — the  temples  which 
once  crowned  it  are  gone,  and  their  columns  and 
precious  marbles  have  been  used  to  erect  the 
Christian  churches.  Beside  it  is  the  church  of  S. 
Maria  d'Ara  Coeli,  built  on  the  foundation  of  the 
old  Roman  temple  of  Jupiter  Feretrius,  in  which 
the  spolia  opima  were  deposited ;  and  if  it  is  the 
hour  when  the  shadows  of  evening  are  beginning 
to  gather,  the  vesper  hymn  of  the  monks  will  be 
borne  plaintively  to  our  ears.  Below,  by  the  side 
of  the  deserted  Forum,  are  the  ancient  temples  of 
Antoninus  and  Faustus,  of  Venus  and  Rome,  now 
consecrated  by  Christian  names  to  the  use  of  that 
faith  which  has  supplanted  heathenism,  while  be- 
yond, grand  and  solemn,  rise  the  massive  ruins  of 
the  Flavian  amphitheatre.  There  Ignatius  died, 
and  the  blood  of  countless  martyrs  enriched  its 
sands,  as  they  were  "  butchered  to  make  a  Roman 
holyday."  But  now,  the  once  despised  cross  stands 
in  the  middle  of  the  arena,  and  often  the  voice  of 
some  humble  monk  may  be  heard  on  that  spot,  as 
he  preaches  the  faith  of  the  Crucified,  and  his  ear- 
nest appeals  send  strange  echoes  through  those  gal- 
leries, which  once  rang  with  the  shouts  of  infuriated 
thousands,  who  were  feasting  their  eyes  on  the  tor- 
ments of  the  expiring  Christians.  We  turn  away 
from  these  scenes,  and  the  Imperial  City  is  before 
us  in  all  her  solemn  and  venerable  magnificence. 
Yet  she  has  put  off  all  trace  of  her  heathen  origin. 


174:  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   EOME. 

A  wilderness  of  towers,  and  domes,  and  columns, 
are  there,  rising  in  the  deep  blue  of  an  Italian  sky 
—  yet  each  pinnacle  is  gleaming  with  its  cross  — 
each  edifice  is  devoted  to  tne  worship  of  Him, 
whom  once  it  was  death  here  to  name  with  aught 
of  reverence.  And  towering  above  all  —  on  the 
very  spot  where  once  were  Nero's  gardens,  and 
which  witnessed  the  martyrdom  of  countless  Chris- 
tians—  swells  forth  that  miracle  of  art,  St.  Peter's 
dome,  surmounting  the  noblest  structure  the  world 
has  ever  seen,  yet  now  the  shrine  of  a  faith  before 
whose  resistless  march  the  ancient  paganism  of 
Rome  was  trampled  into  the  dust. 

Would  that  the  contrast  could  end  here  —  that 
we  could  speak  only  of  the  triumphs  of  this  cause ! 
Yet  we  fear  a  change  lias  passed,  also,  over  the 
spirit  of  the  Church,  and  the  faith  now  taught  in 
the  multitude  of  temples  which  adorn  the  streets 
of  modern  Rome,  differs  widely  from  that  which 
the  early  disciples  learned  amid  the  recesses  of  the 
Catacombs.  But  on  this  point  we  are  not  left  to 
mere  speculation.  The  first  generations  of  the 
faithful  left  behind  them  the  evidences  of  their 
belief  and  practice,  as  the  living  inscribed  above 
the  dead  the  faith  in  which  they  were  laid  to  their 
rest.  These  crypts,  therefore,  furnish  a  valuable 
chapter  for  ecclesiastical  history,  for  we  derive 
from  them  an  unerring  testimony  with  regard  to 
the  belief  of  those  who  first  professed  the  Christian 
name  in  Rome.  The  early  martyrs,  by  whom  they 
were  for  a  long  wdiile  peopled,  u  being  dead,  still 
speak."  They  tell  their  own  simple  faith  and  de- 
votion by  the  changeless  emblems  which  are  as  ex- 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.       175 

pressive  as  words.  And  as  we  trace  these  pictured 
inscriptions  down  through  successive  generations, 
they  unfold  to  us  the  gradual  change  which  crept 
over  the  feelings  of  the  Church. 

We  will  take  up  some  few  of  these  in  succession. 
A  better  illustration  otthis  gradual  departure  from 
primitive  simplicity  can  not  be  found,  than  that 
exhibited  by  the  alteration  which  from  age  to  age 
took  place  in  the  sign  of  the  cross.  To  the  Jew 
and  the  heathen,  only  the  revolting  instrument  >of 
the  lowest  and  most  degrading  punishment,  that  to 
be  feared  by  none  hut  the  basest  criminal  or  the 
most  wretched  slave,  the  early  Christians  were 
able  at  once  to  divest  it  of  all  such  humiliating 
associations,  and  it  became  the  primal,  and,  for  a 
long  time,  the  sole  symbol  of  Christianity.  Yet 
we  find  it  nowhere  in  the  early  inscriptions  of  the 
Catacombs,  except  as  it  has  been  already  copied  in 
these  pages,  in  its  simplest  form  of  two  straight 
lines.     It  is  thus  represented  on  this  tomb. 


Q+OK 


SERWH 


If  any  addition  is  made,  the  same  simple  form 
of  the  cross  is  preserved,  only  it  is  represented 
as  crowned  with  flowers,  or  with  a  dove,  the  em- 
blem of  peace.  For  in  that  age  it  was  a  token  of 
joy  —  a  sign  of  gladness  —  a  pledge  of  the  Chris- 
tian's victory.  It  took  centuries  for  it  to  become 
what  the  Church  of  Rome  afterward  portrayed  it, 


176  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   BOMB. 

a  thing  of  tears  and  suffering  —  a  subject  to  enable 
the  artist  to  display  the  height  of  intense  agony. 
Yet  thus,  at  last,  it  grew  into  a  wretched  repre- 
sentation of  the  Passion,  in  a  crucifix  with  figure 
the  size  of  life,  smeared  with  the  imitation  of 
blood,  and  surmounted  by  a  crown  of  actual  thorns. 

And  yet,  as  we  said,  we  can  easily  trace  on  the 
monuments  of  antiquity,  the  steps  by  which  the 
cross  grew  into  the  crucifix  and  the  bleeding 
agony  of  our  Lokd.  The  first  addition  was  a  lamb 
placed  at  its  feet.  The  next  stage  was  our  Lord, 
clothed,  extended  on  the  cross,  but  not  nailed  to  it, 
his  hands  uplifted  in  prayer.  Then  came  the  de- 
lineation of  the  sufferer  fastened  to  the  cross  with 
four  nails,  yet  still  living,  and  with  open  eyes.  It 
was  not  till  the  tenth  or  eleventh  century  that  he 
was  represented  as  dead.  This  is  the  progress  of 
the  change,  as  stated  by  Cardinal  Bona,  a  view,  the 
correctness  of  which  has  been  acknowledged  by 
most  subsequent  writers.  It  is  a  view  certainly 
sustained  by  all  the  symbols  in  these  crypts. 
"The  Catacombs  of  Rome,"  says  Milman,  "faith- 
ful to  their  general  character,  offer  no  instance  of 
a  crucifixion,  nor  does  any  allusion  to  such  a  sub- 
ject of  art  occur  in  any  early  writer."* 

And  the  expression  of  our  Lord  passed  through 
a  corresponding  series  of  changes.  The  erect  head, 
sharing  somewhat  of  the  Divinity,  by  degrees 
drooped  with  the  agony  of  pain.  Then  the  face 
became  wan  and  furrowed,  and  death  with  its 
deepest  anguish  was  all  that  art  aimed  to  portray. 
The  Divinity  had  entirely  faded  away,  and  nothing 

*  Eccles.  Hist.,  lib.  iv.,  c  4. 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.        177 

remained  but  mere  corporeal  suffering  —  the  earth- 
ly and  the  physical,  deprived  of  all  that  was  ten- 
der and  sublime.  But  for  this  change  we  must- 
look  to  the  monkish  artists  of  the  Lower  Empire, 
while  those  of  the  order  of  St.  Basil  introduced  it 
into  the  "West.  It  owed  its  form  to  the  gloomy 
fancy  of  anchorites,  who  had  brought  it  to  a  depth 
of  degradation  from  which  it  required  all  the  won- 
derful magic  of  Italian  art  to  elevate  it  into  sub- 
limity.* To  dignify  their  degrading  and  earthly 
conceptions  it  was  necessary  that  a  school  of  Chris- 
tian art  should  arise,  whose  devotional  style  first 
gave  character  to  the  frescos  of  Giotto,  and  attained 
its  maturity  under  the  almost  inspiration  of  Raphael 
— a  school  of  artists,  who 

"  Never  moved  their  hand, 
Till  they  had  steeped  their  inmost  soul  in  prayer." 

-  But  did  not  each  step  display  a  proportionate 
change  in  the  spirit  of  reverence  which  had  marked 
the  primitive  Church?  Fond  as  the  early  Chris- 
tians were  of  delineating  the  different  scenes  of  our 
Lord's  history,  in  all  their  pictures  and  sculptures, 
no  attempt  had  been  made  to  show  his  sufferings 
or  death.  They  seem  to  have  shrank  from  this 
with  reverential  awe.  They  often,  as  we  'have  seen, 
pictured  him  as  the  Good  Shepherd,  bearing  a 
lamb  upon  his  shoulders,  but  never  as  expiring  on 
the  cross.  They  felt  that  this  was  a  theme  for 
holy  meditation,  but  not  to  be  shadowed  forth  ac- 
cording to  the  artist's  earthly  and  degrading  con- 
ceptions.    Even  when  representing  the  three  He- 

*  Eccles.  Hist,  lib.  iv.,  c.  4. 
8* 


178  THE    CATACOMBS    OF    ROME. 

brew  youths  in  the  mighty  furnace,  on  the  plains 
of  Dura,  we  notice  that  the  fourth  figure,  "like 
unto  the  Son  of  God,"  is  always  omitted. 

And  was  not  that  a  loftier  feeling  which  was 
content  to  worship  him  in  his  Divinity,  while  it 
shrank  from  coarsely  delineating  the  corporeal 
pangs  which  weighed  down  his  humanity?  We 
feel,  indeed,  when  we  descend  to  the  tenth  and 
eleventh  centuries,  and  see  the  Byzantine  paintings 
in  the  cabinet  of  the  Vatican  library,  representing 
our  Lord  as  the  "man  of  sorrows,"  covered  with 
triangular  splashes  of  blood,  with  a  face  indicative 
of  hopeless  anguish,  that  we  have  turned  to  a  dark 
page  in  the  history  of  Christendom.  We  have  lost 
all  that  was  ideal  and  divine.  "  The  sky  of  sacred 
art  darkened  as  the  Savior's  countenance,  its  proper 
sun,  shed  a  more  disastrous  light  over  its  scenes 
of  wo  ;  till  the  last  glimmering  of  Divine  Majesty 
suffered  total  eclipse  from  the  exclusive  display  of 
agonized  humanity."*  Such  is  the  wide  gulf 
which  in  sacred  art  alone  separates  the  ancient 
and  modern  Church  of  Rome. 

So,  too,  was  it  with  regard  to  the  First  Person 
of  the  Trinity.  The  primitive  Christians  never 
represented  the  Father  in  a  human  form.  No- 
where do  we  trace  any  of  that  gross  profanity  — 
that  absence  of  all  reverential  spirit  —  which  now 
is  seen  in  every  gallery  in  Italy,  where  the  Father 
of  the  universe  is  delineated  as  an  old  man  with 
flowing  white  hair  and  beard.  There  are  among 
the  sculptures  of  the  Catacombs  only  two  instances 
where  even  a  symbol  is  used  to  portray  his  pies- 

*  Maitland,  \\  1 66. 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME. 


179 


ence.  These  are  in  representations  of  Abraham 
offering  up  Isaac,  and  Moses  receiving  the  law. 
In  the  first  of  these,  a  hand  stretching  out  from 
heaven  and  arresting  his  weapon,  denotes  the  in- 
terposition of  the  Deity ;  while  in  the  second,  the 
hand  is  encircled  by  clouds,  as  if  to  show  more 
strongly  its  symbolic  character.  These  are  found 
on  sarcophagi,  now  in  the  library  of  the  Vatican. 


The  early  fathers  would  have  shrunk  with  horror 
from  the  corporeal  representations  of  "  the  King 
invisible,"*  which  now  are  to  be  seen  on  the  walls 
of  every  Romish  church — attempts  to  which  we 
can  not  be  reconciled  even  by  the  genius  of 
Michael  Angelo.  Their  prohibitions  of  any  such 
visible  representations  of  God,  were  most  frequent 

•  1  Tim.  L  17. 


180 


THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


and  explicit.  M.  Emeric  David,  in  his  Discours 
sur  lea  Anciens  Monumens,  says,  that  French 
artists,  in  the  ninth  century,  first  had,  what  he 
calls  "the  happy  boldness,"  heureuse  hardiesse,  to 
represent  the  Eternal  Father  under  the  human 
form.  The  earliest  instance  is  contained  in  a  Latin 
bible,  now.  in  the  Cabinet  Imperial,  cited  by  Mont- 
faucon,  which  was  presented  to  Charles  the  Bold 
by  the  canons  of  the  Church  of  Tours,  in  the  year 
850.*  So  many. ages  did  it  take  for  this  irreve- 
rence to  fasten  itself  upon  the  Church. 

We  realize,  however,  that  we  can  not  better  dis- 


Mjtman,  lib.  iv.,  c.  4. 


TITE    CHANGES    OF   MODERN    ROME.  181 

play  the  contrast  between  the  awe  with  which  this 
subject  was  regarded  in  primitive  days,  and  the 
bold  profanity  which  in  later  times  characterized 
the  Church  of  Rome,  than  by  copying  a  picture 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  It  was  painted  on  one 
of  the  windows  of  the  church  of  Saint  Madeleine  at 
Troyes.* 

In  this,  we  may  say  blasphemous  piece,  we  see 
the  sad  change  which  had  taken  place  in  the  feel- 
ing and  practice  of  the  Church  of  Borne.  The 
scene  is  the  creation  of  Eve  from  the  side  of  Adam, 
while  the  Almighty  is  represented  as  an  old  man, 
arrayed  in  the  robes  of  the  Roman  Pontiff",  with 
the  papal  tiara  upon  his  head. 

Equally  at  variance  with  the  Romish  doctrine 
of  the  worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  is  every  lesson 
taught  us  by  the  inscriptions  in  the  Catacombs. 
Not  a  particle  of  proof  can  be  derived  from  these 
retreats  in  favor  of  this  error.  No  prayer  is  offered 
to  her  in  the  epitaphs  of  the  early  Christians.  No 
ora  pro  nobis  is  addressed  to  one  whom  they  re- 
garded only  as  "  blessed  among  women."  Devo- 
tion seemed  to  rise  too  steadily  to  the  Divine  son 
to  turn  aside  to  his  earthly  mother.  And  when  at 
length  she  became  the  object  of  the  painter's  art, 
it  was  only  by  successive  steps  that  her  image  as- 
sumed a  prominence  among  those  objects  of  spirit- 
ual interest  which  enlisted  his  attention.  It  is 
doubtful,  indded,  whether  any  delineations  of  the 
Virgin  were  executed  before  the  fourth  century, 
while  it  took  two  centuries  longer  to  render  them 
common.     "  We  do  not,"   says  Saint  Augustine, 

*  Iconographic  Chretienne,  p.  224.     Paris,  1843. 


182  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

"know  what  was  the  countenance  of  the  Virgin."* 
In  the  earliest  pictures,  as  in  those  we  have  given 
of  the  worship  of  the  Magi,  the  only  ones  we  could 
find  in  the  Catacombs,  the  Yirgin  is  represented 
merely  as  an  accessory  to  the  Divine  infant  whom 
she  holds  in  her  arms.  She  is  often  veiled,  and  the 
highest  attempt  of  the  artist,  is  to  throw  around  a 
figure  thus  covered  as  much  grace  and  modesty  as 
his  skill  will  allow.  In  the  oldest  picture  known, 
she  is  thus  seated,  in  the  calm  majesty  and  dress 
of  a  Roman  matron.  It  was  long  before  this  veil 
was  .removed,  and  she  was  s^iown,  as  now,  smiling 
on  the  child  before  her,  mingling  in  her  looks  the 
holiness  ascribed  to  her,  with -that  maternal  tender- 
ness which  must  have  been  so  deeply  incorporated 
with  her  nature.  When  that  stage  was  reached, 
she  began  to  be  the  inspiration  of  art,  as  the  paint- 
er, striving  after  a  divine  idealism, '  was  raised 
above  all  earthly  models.  Then  it  was  that  every- 
thing was  added  which  could  dignify  the  mother 
of  our  Lord,  until  her  place  in  theology  was 
changed,  and  she  was  exalted  in  a  way  for  which 
the  language  of  Apostles  furnishes  no  warrant. 
The  early  fathers,  in  the  words  of  Faber,  spoke  of 
the  Yirgin  of  the  gospels,  with  their  eyes  fixed 
upon  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  ;  whereas 
Roman  divines  speak  of  the  Virgin  in  Heaven, 
with  their  eyes  fixed  upon  her  assumption  thither. 
When  the  Virgin  had  begun  to  be  invested  with 
this  dignity,  the  progress  of  the  error  was  most 
rapid.      The    early   reverence    for    her    who   was 

f  "Neque  enim  novimus  faciem  Virginis  Marise." — Augustin  <fr 
Trin.,  o.  viii. 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.       183 

"blessed  among  women,"  insensibly  deepened  into 
adoration,  and  she  became  an  object  of  popular 
worship.  It  was  a  doctrine  which  suited  the  fer- 
vent temperament  of  the  East,  where  first  it  origina- 
ted ;  but  there  was  none  to  which  everywhere  the 
heart  seemed  so  to  cling  or  which  it  embraced 
with  such  passionate  affection.  Of  the  Son,  they 
could  not  think  but  in  connection  with  "  the  High 
and  Lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,"  there 
were  often  images  of  terror  and  sternness  suggested 
by  the  view;  but  with  the  Virgin  it  was  not  so. 
All  was  gentleness  and  love  when  they  turned  to 
the  Mother  and  Child,  and  there  they  found  an 
object  for  those  more  earthly  affections  which  min- 
gled with  their  worship.  The  doctrine,  therefore, 
became  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  multitudes,  and 
was  developed  in  many  a  visible  form  in  the  rites 
and  customs  of  the  Church.  It  was  a  feeling,  the 
workings  of  which  a  Christian  poet  of  our  own  day 
has  beautifully  portrayed,  when  he  says  — 

"Some,  I  ween, 
Not  unforgiven,  the  suppliant  knee  might  bend, 
As  to  a  visible  Power,  in  which  did  blend 
All  that  was  mixed  and  reconciled  in  thee 
Of  mother's  love  with  maiden  purity, 
Of  high  with  low,  celestial  with  terrene  !"* 

Thus  it  was  that  an  addition  was  made  to  the 
worship  of  the  Church,  but  it  was  an  error,  the 
progress  of  which  we  can  easily  trace,  and  one 
which  we  have  seen  receives  no  countenance  from 
all  that  we  can  gather  from  the  records  of  the  early 
Christians. 

*  Wordsworth'*  Eccles.  Sonnets,  xxl 


ph* 


18tt  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 


to    *o 


a  4.  The  fact,  too,^is  equally  evident  from  these  in- 
scriptions, that  death  was  to  them  the  admission 
into  immediate  joy.  No  visions  of  a  purgatory 
clouded  the  dying  gaze  of  the  early  Roman  Chris- 
tians. They  looked  upon  the  sonl  as  going  at  once 
to  a  place  of  refreshing,  by  means  of  God's  pres- 
ence.    Epitaphs  like  this  abound : — 

NICEFORVS  AXIMA 

DVLCIS  IN  REFRIGERIO. 

Niceforus,  a  sweet  soul,  in  the  place  of  refreshment 

And  is  not  this  the  same  in  its  meaning  as  the 
following? 

ARETVSA 
IN  DEO. 

Arethusa,  in  God. 

Another,  in  memory  of  a  child,  contains  the 
declaration  — 

ESSE  IAMINTER  INNOCENTIS  COEPISTI. 
You  have  already  begun  to  be  among  the  innocent  ones. 

Another  employs  the  following  paraphrase  to 
express  the  idea  of  death : — 

ACCERSITVS  AB  ANGELIS  VII  •  IDVS  IANVA. 
Borne  away  by  angels  on  the  seventh  Ides  of  January. 

And  can  we  suppose  that  this  expression,  used 
by  our  Lord  to  describe  the  passage  of  Lazarns  to 
the  paradise  above,  was  here  intended  to  imply  a 
conveyance  to  expiatory  flames?  Among  the  thou- 
sands, indeed,  of  these  early  epitaphs,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  glean  from  any  one  a  single  expres- 

-nr-""'    /-,       i  »./t     f~ /Ir"  ,1»* 


TITE    CHANGES    OF   MODERN    ROME.  185 

sion  which  gives   countenance  to  the  doctrine  of 
purgatory.* 

So,  too,  is  it  with  prayers  for  the  dead.  We  con- 
fess, indeed,  that  on  this  point  we  looked  for  some- 
thing which  might  not  be  in  strict  accordance  with 
the  teachings  of  Scripture,  for  we  know  that  there 
is  no  error  to  which  the  mind  of  man  seems  more 
naturally  to  incline.  "When  the  loved  ones  of  this 
world  have  been  taken  away,  how  gladly  would 
the  living  preserve  their  connection  with  them, 
and  follow  them,  if  possible,  with  their  prayers, 
even  into  the  world  of  spirits !  We  should  have 
expected,  therefore,  to  find  this  sentiment  devel- 
oped in  these  inscriptions,  even  when  it  was  the 

*  The  difficulty  felt  by  the  Romanists  in  making  out  an  argument 
for  Purgatory,  is  shown  by  the  course  pursued  by  their  writers. 
The  fond  expressions  of  affection  (some  of  which,  of  a  similar  char- 
acter, we  shall  quote  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  chapter)  are 
seized  upon  and  brought  forward  as  implying  a  belief  in  this  doc- 
trine. For  instance,  the  record  of  wishes  like  these  : — 
Aphthona!  mayst  thou  live  in  God. 
O  sweet  Roxanusf  mayst  thou  rest  well. 

O  Lea!  mayst  thou  rest  in  peace. 
Olimpiodorus!  mayst  thou  live  in  God. 

On  these  and  similar  inscriptions,  we  have  the  following  commen- 
tary: "These  exclamations,  by  expressing  such  an  anxious,  tender  wish 
that  those  departed  friends,  for  whom  they  are  ejaculated,  may  repose 
in  bliss,  in  reality  betray  some  doubts  about  their  enjoyment  of  that 
happiness,  and  thus  exhibit  proof  that  the  pious  Christians  who  ut- 
tered them,  believed  that  the  soul  of  the  deceased  might  be  in  an 
intermediate  state,  where  the  efficacy  of  such  aspirations  could 
reach  him,  and  his  spirit  could  be  refreshed  and  benefited  by  the 
supplications  of  his  surviving  brethren." — Rock's  Ifierurgia,  p.  322. 

It  is  left  to  the  reader  to  estimate  the  force  of  this  argument; 
bearing  in  mind,  that  it  is  the  only  one  in  favor  of  Purgatory  which 
can  be  extracted  from  these  records  of  the  first  three  centuries. 


186  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

offspring  of  a  wish  and  a  yearning  of  the  heart, 
rather  than  of  a  settled  and  authorized  belief. 
There  was,  too,  a  freedom  of  language  in  those 
ages  of  faith,  when  no  error  was  yet  to  be  guarded 
against,  from  which  in  these  days  men  would 
shrink,  when  surrounded  by  misconstruction  and 
heresy.  The  expression  of  feeling  had  not  yet 
been  restricted  by  the  fear  of  evil  to  the  cold 
rules  of  ordinary  logic. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  too,  that  through  the 
first  ages,  the  majority  of  those  who  found  here 
their  graves  were  not  only  the  humble  and  the 
illiterate,  but  converts  lately  redeemed  from  pagan- 
ism, and  perhaps  cut  off  before  they  had  become 
grounded  in  any  but  the  great  essential  doctrines 
of  the  new  faith.  And  so  were  they  who  laid  them 
to  their  rest,  and  wrote  above  them  their  epitaphs. 
We  should  expect,  therefore,  to  find  from  them  at 
times  an  expression  of  feeling,  in  which  their  love 
for  the  departed  had  caused  them  to  exceed  the 
bounds  marked  out  by  an  authorized  theology. 

And  when,  too,  the  ages  of  purity  had  gone,  and 
those  of  superstition  gathered  over  the  Church  — 
when,  as  we  have  seen,  through  the  Middle  Ages 
a  feeling  of  reverence  induced  many  to  seek  there 
their  tombs,  the  errors  which  had  been  developed 
in  the  Church  would  naturally  find  their  place  also 
in  these  epitaphs.* 

*  Maitland  truly  says:  "To  decorate  the  chapels,  adorn  by  mon- 
uments the  labyrinths  of  sepulchres,  and  pay  an  excessive  regard 
to  all  that  belonged  to  martyrs  and  martyrdom,  was  the  constant 
labor  of  succeeding  centuries.  Hence  arises  a  chronological  confu- 
sion, which  calls  for  caution  in  deciding  upon  the  value  of  any  in- 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.       187 

These  considerations  render  more  remarkable  the 
fact,  that  we  nowhere  trace  among  these  inscriptions 
anything  which  sanctions  the  belief  that  the  custom 
of  prayers  for  the  dead  was  at  all  in  use  with  the 
early  Christians.  Among  more  than  three  thou- 
sand monumental  slabs  arrayed  in  the  Lapidarian 
Gallery  by  the  papal  authorities,  the  writer  was 
able  to  discover  nothing  which  sanctioned  this 
error,*  nor  could  he  in  the  voluminous  work  of 
Bosio  and  Arringhi,  the  result  of  more  than  thirty 
years'  labor.  There  is  nothing  which  conveys  the 
idea  that  they  supposed  any  change  was  effected  in 

ference  that  may  be  drawn  from  these  sources,  respecting  points  of 
doctrine."— P.  14. 

*  We  are  informed  by  Maitland,  that  he  found  in  this  collection 
one  single  epitaph  containing  the  phrase,  ora  pro  nobis.  He  does 
not  state,  however,  to  what  nge  it  probably  belonged. 

In  Rock's  Hiernrgia,  a  standard  Romish  work,  some  inscriptions 
are  given  which  contain  a  request  for  prayers  for  the  dead. 
Where  these  slabs  are  we  know  not,  for  they  are  certainly  not 
in  the  Lapidarian  Gallery,  where  we  should  most  naturally 
look  for  them.  Nor  is  any  information  given  us  by  which  we  can 
decide  on  their  age.  We  have  no  proof  that  they  were  not  erected 
amid  the  superstitions  of  mediceval  days,  when,  as  we  said,  we 
should  expect  to  find  them,  as  the  Catacombs  then  were  ornament- 
ed in  the  debased  taste  of  the  times. 

The  difficulty,  too,  felt  by  Romish  writers  in  making  out  a  case, 
is  shown  by  their  attempt  to  force  a  few  inscriptions  to  declare 
what  it  is  probable  those  who  erected  them  never  intended  they 
should.  For  instance,  in  the  Hiernrgia  (p.  244),  we  have  a  copy  of 
this  mutilated  epitaph  : — 

JOVIANE  VIBAS  IN  DEO  ET 
ROG. 

Romish  writers  have  discovered  that  the  last  half  word  should  be 
completed  ROGA,  making  it  a  request  to  Jovianus  to  pray  for  us, 
though  it  is  done  at  considerable  expense  to  the  grammatical  con- 
struction. 


188  THE   CATACOMBS   OF  ROME. 

the  condition  of  the  dead  by  the  petitions  of  the 
living.  The  utmost  that  can  be  discovered  is  an 
ejaculatoiy  wish,  the  offspring  a  fond  affection, 
which  would  thus  pursue  the  object  of  its  love  be- 
yond the  grave.  It  is,  however,  rather  the  expres- 
sion of  a  wish,  than  a  petition  for  the  departed 
soul.  Some  of  these  we  have  already  quoted, 
when  speaking  of  purgatory.  We  give,  however, 
some  further  instances,  and  certainly  nothing  in 
these  words  can  be  construed  into  a  support  of  the 
modern  Romish  practice  on  this  subject. 

A/xVAUtfABIV/ur 

VALE  SABINA 

VIXIT  ANNOS  VIII .  MENSES  VIII. 

DIES  XXII. 

VIVAS  IN  DEO  DVLCIS. 

Farewell,  O  Sabinal     She  lived  viii.  years,  viii.  months,  and  xxii. 
days.     May  at  thou  live  sweet  in  God ! 

Still  more  forced  is  the  following  inscription: — 
SIMPLICIO 
VENEMEREN" 
TI.FILIO.TE- 

IN  PACEM 
P.T.PR.N.S. 
The  meaning  of  the  last  line  in  this  epitaph  remained  undiscov- 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.       189 

anaaxxiu  £r 

EXVPERI  REQVIESCAS 

IN  PACE  QVI  VIXIT 

ANNOS  XXIir .  ET 

M.III.D.VI. 

Exuperius,  mayst  thou  rest  in  peace,  who  lived  xxiii.  years,  Hi. 
months,  and  vi.  days.* 


ered  for  many  years.     Some  late  writers  have,  however,  ingeniously 
completed  it  thus : — 

Pe  fe  PRo  Nobia 
Pray  for  us. 

We  think,  indeed,  it  is  the  decision  of  common  sense,  that  if  this 
doctrine,  so  much  in  unison  with  many  of  the  deepest  feelings  of 
our  nature,  had  been  held  by  the  primitive  Church,  we  should  have 
found  it  written  broadly  and  clearly  everywhere  through  these 
epitaphs.  Its  proof  would  not  be  left  to  half  a  dozen  inscriptions 
(and  most  of  these  doubtful  and  disputed),  among  thousands  which 
plainly  declare  the  reverse. 

*  We  have  copied  this  inscription  from  Rock's  Hierurgia  (p.  31*7), 
and  given  their  rendering,  to  allow  them  the  full  benefit  of  it.  It,  is 
one  of  the  epitaphs  from  which  they  attempt  to  derive  an  argument 
for  prayers  for  the  dead.  It  will  be  seen  that  even  with  their  trans- 
lation it  proves  nothing  with  regard  to  this  doctrine. 

We  would  ask  the  reader,  however,  to  observe  how  unwarrantable 
is  the  manner  in  which  they  complete  it.  What  authority  have  they 
for  filling  up  the  word  REQ.,  as  REQVIESCAS,  to  make  it  read, 
"Mayst  thou  rest"?  It  might  just  as  well  be  filled  up  with  the 
present  tense,  for  the  sense  would  be  much  more  in  conformity  with 


190  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

svfsvArs.  vtxirMtts'Mtywivmw 

IN  PACE  ET  BENEDICTIONE 

SVFSVATE  VIXIT  AXIS  XXX  PLVS  MINVS 

REDDIDIT  KAL  FEBB. 

Mayst  thou  be  in  peace  and  benediction,  0  Sufsuatus!     He  lived 

xxx  years,  more  or  less.     He  departed  in  the  Kalends  of  February. 

FA VSTINA  DVLCIS .  BIBAS 

IX  DEO. 

Sweet  Faustina,  may  you  live  in  God. 

BOLOSA  DEVS  TI 
BIREFRIGERET  QVAE  VI 
XIT  ANNOS  XXXI  RECESSIT 
DIE  XIII  KAL  OCT .  B 
Bolosa,  may  God  refresh  thee.     She  lived  thirty-one  years.     She 
departed  on  the  thirteenth  Kalends  of  October. 
AMERIMNVS 
RVFINAE  •  COIV 
GICARIS  •  SIME 
BENEMEREN 
TI  •  SPIRITVM  • 
TVVM  •  DEVS 
REFRI  •  GERET. 
Amerimnus  to  Rufina,  my  dearest  wife,  the  well-deserving.     May 
God  refresh  thy  spirit 

Iii  1848,  the  Kev.  Mr.  Hobart  Seymour,  of  the 
Church  of  England,  was  at  Eome ;  and,  through 

the  usual  language  of  the  epitaphs,  if  read  —  "The  place  of  Exupe- 
rius.  He  rests  in  peace,  who  lived,"  Ac.  It  is  precisely  the  same 
case  with  the  next  inscription  we  have  quoted — "In  peace  and 
benediction,"  Ac 


£&£ 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME. 


the  intervention  of  a  Roman  gentleman  who  held 
some  office  at  the  papal  court,  he  became  acquaint- 
ed with  two  members  of  the  order  of  the  Jesuits. 
They  soon  presented  him  to  others.  They  intro- 
duced him  to  the  professors  of  their  establishment, 
the  Collegio  Romano,  and  thus  a  series  of  conver- 
sations or  conferences  on  the  subject  of  the  points 
at  issue  between  the  Churches  of  England  and 
Rome  commenced  and  was  carried  on,  as  occasion 
offered,  during  the  whole  period  of  his  residence  at 
Rome.  A  portion  of  his  notes  of  these  conversa- 
tions he  has  published,  under  the  title  of  "Morn- 
ings among  the  Jesuits  at  Rome." 

It  was  impossible  that  these  arguments  could  be 
earned  on  without  the  Catacombs  being  appealed 
to  as  one  branch  of  evidence;  and  we  copy  por- 
tions of  the  conversations  on  the  subject  of  prayers 
to  the  dead,  to  show  the  utterly  inconclusive  nature 
of  these  Jesuit  arguments,  and  the  futility  of  their 
attempts  to  derive  any  proof  from  these  inscrip- 
tions. 

"On  one  occasion,"  says  Mr.  Seymour,  "one  of 
these  Jesuit  fathers  referred  to  the  inscriptions  and 
figures  graven  upon  the  tablets  as  indicative  of  the 
fact  that  certain  religious  practices,  against  which 
Protestants  objected  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
which  were  made  a  ground  of  protestation  and  sep- 
aration, were  religious  practices  prevalent  among 
those  who  were  the  saints  and  martyrs  of  the  primi- 
tive Church.  On  my  asking  to  what  religious  prac- 
tice they  especially  alluded,  one  of  my  friends  re- 
plied by  referring  to  the  practice  of  invocation  of 
saints — praying  to  the  saints ;  adding  that  there 


192  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

was  no  doubt  as  to  the  existence  of  the  practice,  as 
it  was  evidenced  in  the  inscriptions. 

"  I  asked  to  what  inscriptions  and  what  words  he 
alluded,  as  I  had  observed  nothing  of  the  kind. 

"He  replied  by  boldly  stating  that  some  of  the 
tablets  were  inscribed  with  the  '  orate  pro  nobis? 
or  rather,  correcting  himself,  '  orapro  nobis? 

"  I  said  that '  I  had  seen  nothing  of  the  kind ;  that 
I  had  carefully  examined  the  great  collection  of  in- 
scribed tablets  deposited  in  the  Vatican ;  that  some  of 
them — indeed,  the  larger  portion — had  no  evidence 
or  trace  of  Christianity  beyond  a  cross,  or  some  ana- 
gram or  emblem  of  Christ,  as  the  Ship,  or  the  Fish, 
or  the  Greek  letter  X,  or  the  A  and  Q,  or  some 
other  of  the  various  symbols  of  the  Christian  faith ; 
that  some  commenced  with  the  solitary  word  (  Pax ;' 
some  concluded  with  the  words  'in  pace'  or  'in 
Christo,'  implying  that  the  person  either  lived  or 
died  in  peace  or  in  Christ — in  the  peace  of  God  or 
in  the  faith  of  Christ ;  that  I  had  observed  many  in- 
scriptions stating  that  the  person  lived  in  peace, 
'  vixit  in  pace,'  and  only  one  '  vivas  in  pace,'  ex- 
pressive of  the  sigh  or  wish  of  the  survivor  that  the 
person  might  live  in  peace,  and  very  few  others  of 
the  same  import;  and  that,  in  the  large  variety  of 
inscriptions  which  I  had  had  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
amining, I  had  never  seen  or  heard  of  more  than 
one  with  either  or  a  or  orate  pro  nobis? 

"  My  friend  replied  that  '  there  was  no  doubt  of 
the  fact  that  there  were  such  inscriptions,  and  that 
they  actually  possessed  one  in  the  college,  and  that 
he  had  seen  the  inscription,  so  that  there  could  be 
no  question  as  to  the  prevalence  of  the  practice  of 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.        193 

saying  the  orate  pro  nobis — praying  to  the  saints 
to  pray  for  us.' 

"  I  reminded  him  that '  there  were  collected  about 
two  thousand  inscriptions;  that  these  were  taken 
chiefly  from  the  monumental  tablets  of  the  Cata- 
combs ;  that  they  were  cited  as  the  representatives 
of  the  opinions  of  the  primitive  Christians  ;  and  that 
all  he  was  enabled  to  say  was,  that  among  these  two 
thousand  he  had  seen  one  with  this  inscription  !  I 
then  added,  that,  considering  the  heathens  of  Kome 
prayed  to  their  departed  heroes,  it  was  no  more  than 
natural  that  some  few  of  these,  on  embracing  Chris- 
tianity, more  in  profession  than  in  reality,  might 
ignorantly  continue  the  practice,  and  pray  to  some 
departed  saint;  and  that  such  an  exception  could 
prove  nothing  in  favor  of  the  practice  ;  that  so  iso- 
lated an  instance  as  one  inscription  could  only  serve, 
like  an  exception,  to  prove  the  rule,  and  the  real 
wonder  was  that  more  could  not  be  found  ;  and  the 
fact  that  more  were  not  found  among  the  thousands 
collected,  proved  powerfully  that  it  was  not  the 
practice  of  the  primitive  Christians  to  inscribe  the 
ora  pro  nobis  on  their  tombs.  The  inference  was 
that  they  did  not  pray  to  the  saints.'     *     *     *     * 

;'  He  then  went  on  to  say  that '  there  was  a  marked 
distinction  to  be  observed  in  the  inscriptions  on  the 
monuments  of  the  Catacombs.  One  class,  he  stated, 
contained  such  expressions  as  requiescat  in  pace  — 
may  he  rest  in  peace — may  he  be  refreshed,  may- 
be be  comforted :  all  this  class  are  the  monuments 
of  Christian  persons  generally,  and  these  inscrip- 
tions are  prayers  for  the  dead.  The  other  class  are 
the  monuments  of  martyrs,  who  pass  at  once  into 

9 


194  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   BOMS. 

the  beatific  vision  of  God,  and  who  therefore  do  not 
need  those  prayers  for  their  peace,  refreshment,  or 
comfort.  Therefore  those  prayers  are  omitted  ;  and 
tliia  was  the  real  cause  of  there  being  so  many  mon- 
uments without  prayers.  It  was  because  there  were 
so  many  martyrs. 

"  I  said,  that  '  I  could  not  assent  to  his  ideas  of 
either  class ;  that  the  fact  of  there  being  no  prayers 
for  the  dead  or  to  the  dead  inscribed  on  the  monu- 
ments, was  to  me  an  evidence  that  the  Christians 
of  those  days  neither  prayed  for  the  dead  nor  to  the 
dead,  and  that  this  was  a  much  easier  way  of  ac- 
counting fur  the  omission  than  supposing  that  all 
these  were  the  monuments  of  martyrs  —  a  supposi- 
tion for  which,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  there  was 
not  the  faintest  foundation.  And  as  for  the  state- 
ment that  the  words  requiescat  in  £  ace,  and  such 
similar  expressions,  were  inscribed  on  the  tablets,  I 
could  only  say,  I  had  never  seen  such  among  all  I 
had  examined,  that  is,  among  all  the  collection  in 
the  Yatican,  a  collection  larger  than  all  other  col- 
lections in  the  world  combined.  Such  an  instance 
might  be  there ;  I  heard  there  was,  but  I  saw  noth- 
ing like  it ;  on  one  tablet,  indeed,  I  had  seen  the 
natural  and  loving  ejaculation  vivas  in  pace  —  may 
you  have  peace! — and  this  appeared  to  me  no 
more  than  a  wish  expressed  to  the  -dead,  rather 
than  a  prayer  addressed  to  God.  I  added,  that  I 
could  only  speak  of  what  I  had  myself  seen.  It 
was  possible  he  might  have  had  larger  and  better 
opportunities  of  informing  himself,  and  that  he  had 
probably  examined  them  more  closely;  but  that  I 
apprehended  there  might  be  some  mistake  on  his 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.       195 

part,  and  I  would  therefore  feel  obliged  by  his 
showing  me  some  inscription  of  the  kind.' 

"  The  reply  to  this  was,  conducting  me  to  several 
tablets,  and  pointing  to  one  on  which  was  rudely 
engraved  or  scratched  the  figure  of  a  man  in  a 
kneeling  posture. 

"My  friend,  pointing  to  this,  and  observing  that 
I  was  silent  and  could  make  nothing  of  it,  said  that 
'  there  was  a  kind  of  monumental  language  well 
known  and  understood ;  that  it  was  derived  from  a 
comparison  of  a  large  number  of  inscriptions ;  that 
when  a  tablet  was  found  without  a  prayer  for  the 
dead,  it  was  to  be  regarded  as  the  tablet  of  a  mar- 
tyr;  and  that,  as  martyrs  go  at  once  into  the  vision 
of  God,  they  do  not  need  any  prayers,  and  there- 
fore no  prayers  are  inscribed  on  their  tablets ;  that, 
instead  of  such  prayers,  there  was  some  emblem,  as 
a  representation  of  a  person  standing  in  the  attitude 
of  prayer,  or  as  the  figure  of  a  kneeling  man,  that 
is,  the  figure  of  a  man  praying  to  the  martyred  dead, 
and  thus  embodying,  not  indeed  the  words,  but  the 
idea  of  the  ora  pro  nobis.  He  said  that  this  was  a 
matter  very  well  known  and  understood  by  those 
who  were  acquainted  with  the  language  of  the  mon- 
umental inscriptions.' 

"  I  could  not  but  smile  at  this  statement.  I  had 
seen  so  many  of  these  monuments  without  anything 
that  could  imply  a  prayer  for  the  dead,  that  I  had 
concluded  thence  that  the  primitive  Christians  did 
not  cherish  such  a  practice  as  praying  for  the  dead 
in  the  age  of  the  Catacombs ;  but  my  friend  of  the 
order  of  Jesuits  assigned  as  the  reason  for  so 
marked  an  omission,  that  '  all  such  monuments  are 


196  THE    CATACOMBS   OF    ROME. 

those  of  the  martyrs,  who  were  in  no  need  of  sncli 
prayers.'  Thus  variously  do  different  minds  look 
upon  the  same  things. 

"  I  remarked,  in  a  doubting  tone,  '  that  my 
friend  seemed  to  regard  the  kneeling  or  praying 
figure  as  the  representation,  not  of  the  martyr,  but 
of  some  living  friend.' 

"  He  said,  that  '  the  monumental  language  de- 
manded this.  A  martyr  could  not  require  prayer, 
and  therefore  the  figure  could  not  represent  the 
martyr  himself;  that  it  must  therefore  represent 
some  one  else,  perhaps  his  friend,  or  relative,  or 
follower,  who  erected  the  tablet,  and  who  en- 
graved his  own  representation  on  the  tablet,  to 
show  himself  in  the  act  of  praying  to  the  departed 
and  glorified  martyr;  that  this  was  the  well  under- 
stood language  of  such  inscriptions,  and  that  I 
might  depend  on  this  interpretation.' 

"  I  replied,  that  '  his  process  of  reasoning  did 
not  strike  me  as  very  logical.  He  found  tablets 
without  prayers  for  the  dead,  and  at  once  con- 
cluded that  they  were  the  monuments  of  martyrs 
who  needed  no  prayers ;  and  now  he  found  the 
figure  of  a  praying  man,  and  at  once  concluded  it 
could  not  represent  the  man  buried  beneath  the 
monument,  but  the  living  man  who  erected  the 
monument.  I  understood  that  the  monument  was 
always  the  monument  of  the  dead  ;  that  the  in- 
scription was  always  with  reference  to  the  dead  ; 
that  any  picture,  or  image,  or  other  representation, 
was  designed  for  the  dead,  and  that  it  was  quite 
new  to  me  to  hear  of  their  representing  the  living. 
I  regarded  it  as  representing   the  dead,  and,  ac- 


THE   CHANGES    OF   MODERN   ROME.  197 

cordingly,  in  the  monuments  of  the  Catacombs, 
such  figures  are  always  of  the  same  sex  as  the  dead 
person.' " 

[In  a  subsequent  conversation,  at  my  own  resi- 
dence, with  one  of  my  friends  from  the  Collegio 
Romano,  this  subject  was  renewed,  and  I  was  not 
a  little  surprised  at  finding  a  new  and  different  in- 
terpretation given  of  this  figure.  It  was  then  ar- 
gued that  the  kneeling  figure  represented  the 
buried  dead;  that  it  represented  him  as  kneeling 
in  prayer,  and  that  it  thus  showed  that  the  saints 
and  martyrs  in  heaven  pray,  and  that,  as  they  can 
not  pray  for  themselves,  so  they  must  be  praying 
for  us.  In  the  Collegio  Romano,  the  figure  was 
said  to  represent  the  living ;  but  at  my  own  resi- 
dence, it  was  said  to  represent  the  dead  or  departed. 
These  inconsistencies  are  very  frequent  when  argu- 
ing with  different  persons.] 

"  My  friend  replied,  that  '  I  was  quite  mistaken 
in  regarding  the  figure  as  the  representation  of  the 
departed  one,  for  that  the  known  language  of  in- 
scriptions required  it  should  be  the  representation 
of  the  living  Christian  who  erected  the  tablet ;  and 
it  was  designed  to  show  his  belief  in  the  martyr's 
enjoyment  of  the  beatific  vision  of  God,  and  that 
he  was  thus  praying  to  the  martyr  to  pray  to  God 
for  him — asking  for  the  intercession  of  the  mar- 
tyr— really,  an  or  a  pro  nobis ;  and  it  was  thus  a 
clear  proof  or  justification  of  '  the  Catholic  Church,' 
in  praying  to  the  departed  saints  to  pray  for  us.' 

"  I  answered  this  by  saying,  that  '  I  could  not 
think  the  figure  represented  the  living  Christian 
who  erected  the  tablet ;  that  such  an  interpretation 


198  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

was  forced  and  unnatural,  for  that  it  was  tlie  cus- 
tom of  all  ages  and  all  nations  to  represent  the  dead 
rather  than  the  living  on  their  monuments.  I 
could  not  but  think  that  the  figure  was  designed  to 
represent  the  dead,  as  one  who  had  lived  and  died 
a  praying  man.' 

"  He  at  once  caught  at  my  words,  and  said,  '  that 
if  I  regarded  the  figure  as  representing  the  depart- 
ed saint,  then  I  must  acknowledge  it  as  evidence 
that  in  the  primitive  Church  they  thought  the  de- 
parted saints  prayed  ;  and  that,  as  they  needed  not 
to  pray  for  themselves,  they  must  be  praying  for  us.' 

"  I  said,  that  <  I  did  not  regard  the  figure  as  rep- 
resenting the  departed  saint  as  praying  for  us  in 
heaven,  but  as  having  been  a  praying  man  in  his 
life ;  that  as  the  words,  4  in  peace,'  and  i  in  Christ,' 
implied  that  the  departed  had  lived  or  died  in  the 
peace  of  God,  and  in  the  faith  of  Christ,  so  the 
kneeling  posture  might  imply  that  he  lived  or  died 
in  prayer.  I  thought  this  the  natural  interpretation 
of  the  figure ;  and  I  said  that  in  England,  and,  I 
believed,  in  other  countries,  and  certainly  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Peter,  at  Rome,  the  monumental 
statues  always  represent  the  departed  persons ;  that 
it  was  usual  to  represent  them,  not  as  they  were 
when  dead,  but  as  they  were  when  alive  ;  the  war- 
rior as  a  warrior — the  orator  as  an  orator  —  the 
painter  as  a  painter — the  clergyman  as  a  clergy- 
man ;  and  I  observed  that  all  the  monumental  fig- 
ures of  popes  and  nuns  in  St.  Peter's  represented 
them  as  popes  or  nuns — represented  them  as  they 
were  on  earth,  and  not  as  they  are  supposed  to  be 
in  heaven";  and  that,  in  the  same  way,  we  ought  to 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  KOME.       199 

regard  this  kneeling  figure  as  representing  the  de- 
parted Christian  as  he  lived  or  died  on  earth,  a 
praying  man.  He  was  represented  kneeling,  to 
show  he  was  a  man  of  prayer  —  a  Christian  man. 
There  is  an  example  of  it  in  Scripture,  where  the 
conversion  of  St.  Paul  is  described  in  the  simple 
words,  ;  Behold,  he  prayeth  !' 

"  There  was  no  direct  reply  to  this."* 
We  think  the  folly  of  this  reasoning,  by  those 
who  are  on  the  spot,  and  who  have  the  best  oppor- 
tunities for  establishing  an  argument  from  the  in- 
scriptions of  the  Catacombs,  were  it  possible  to  do 
so,  will  show  that  they  have  no  testimony  to  give 
in  support  of  the  errors  of  the  Church  of  Koine. 
Mr.  Seymour,  indeed,  in  two  concluding  para- 
graphs, thus  gives  his  own  experience,  so  entirely 
in  conformity  with  what  we  have  already  stated, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  admirably  sums  up  the 
wThole  argument : — 

"Day  after  day,  and  week  after  week,  have  I 
paused  in  this  gallery,  to  examine  these  monument- 
al inscriptions.  It  always  occurred  to  me,  that  if 
a  belief  in  the  sufferings  of  the  dead  in  purgatory 
— if  a  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  the  prayers  of  the 
living  in  behalf  of  the  dead — if  a  belief  in  the 
matter  of  fact  of  the  departed  saints  praying  for 
the  living — if  a  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  any  pray- 
ing to  or  invocation  of  the  departed  saints,  was 
held  among  the  Christians  of  the  Church  in  those 
early  ages,  when  the  Church  used  to  hide  herself, 
used  to  celebrate  her  worship,  and  used  to  bury 
her  dead,  in  the  Catacombs,  there  ought  to  be,  and 

*  Mornings  among  the  Jesuits,  pp.  223-231. 


200  TII10    CATACOMBS    OF    BOMB. 

there  should  be,  some  evidence  of  such  belief  in 
the  inscriptions  so  numerous  to  be  found  in  the 
Catacombs.  The  absence  —  the  total  and  perfect 
absence  —  of  everything  of  the  kind,  seems  to 
argue  powerfully  that  no  such  things  entered  into 
the  religious  belief  of  the  Christians  of  those  ages. 

"  It  is  observable  that  in  a  modern  grave-yard  in 
any  Roman  Catholic  country,  there  are  always  ex- 
pressions in  the  monumental  inscriptions  which  in- 
timate the  belief  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  There 
is  a  request  to  the  passing  traveller  to  offer  a 
prayer  for  the  dead ;  there  is  a  statement  setting 
forth  that  it  is  a  good  thing  to  pray  for  the  dead  ; 
there  is  a  prayer  that  the  dead  may  rest  in  peace ; 
there  is  a  request  for  the  assisting  prayers  of  the 
saints.  These  and  others  of  a  similar  tendency  are 
found  in  every  cemetery  in  Roman  Catholic  coun- 
tries. But  there  is  nothing  like  this — nothing  that 
has  the  faintest  resemblance  of  this,  or  of  any 
opinion  approaching  to  any  of  these  —  to  be  found 
among  the  innumerable  inscriptions  collected  from 
the  Catacombs.  The  whole  collection  of  inscrip- 
tions thus  argues  unanswerably  that  those  opinions 
that  have  been  of  late  years  so  universally  re- 
ceived in  the  Church  of  Rome  were  wholly  un- 
known in  the  primitive  Church."* 

We  will  bring  forward  but  one  more  error  of 
practice  in  the  modern  Church  of  Rome,  and 
whose  claim  to  antiquity  is  entirely  refuted  by 
these  primitive  epitaphs.  We  refer  to  the  celib- 
acy of  the  clergy.  For  the  first  three  centuries, 
no   ecclesiastical  law  or  regulation   required  the 

*  Mornings  among  the  Jesuits,  pp.  234,  236. 


THE  CHANGES  OF  MODERN  ROME.       201 

adoption  of  this  practice.*     Eusebius,  in  his  his- 
tory, often  speaks  of  married  bishops  and  presby-  •;, 
ters;    the   council  of  Nice,  in   325^  confirmed  to  ** 
them  this  right ;   and  Cyprianjin  his  account  of  /^  ' 
the  martyrdom  of  Frumidicus,  tells  us  how  his  joy 
was  increased  at  beholding  his  wife  standing  by  his     * 
side  in  the  flames,  his  companion  in  suffering  and 
glory. 

Such  is  the  record  of  history.  Yet  how  plainly 
is  this  truth  confirmed,  when  over  the  tombs  of  the 
early  Roman  Christians  we  meet  with  epitaphs  like 
these: — 

LOCVS  BASILI  PRESB  ET  FELICITATI  EIVS 
SIBI  FECERVNT. 

To  Basilus,  the  presbyter,  and  Felieitas,  his  wife.  They  made 
this  for  themselves. 

The  following  epitaph  on  the  wife  of  a  priest,  is 
given  in  Arringhi  (lib.  iii.,  c.  iii.) : — 

LEVITAE  CONIVNX  PETRONIA  FORMA  PVDORIS 

HIS  MEA  DEPONENS  SEDIBVS  OSSA  LOCO 

PARCITE  VOS  LACRIMIS  DVLCES  CVM  CONIVGE 

NATAE 

VIVENTEMQVE  DEO  CREDITE  FLERE  NEFAS 

DP  IN  PACE  III  NON  OCTOBRIS  FESTO  YC  CONSS. 

Petronia,  a  priest's  wife,  the  type  of  modesty.  In  this  place  I  lay 
my  bones;  spare  your  tears,  dear  husband  and  daughters,  and  be- 
lieve that  it  is  forbidden  to  weep  for  one  who  lives  in  God.  Buried 
in  peace,  on  the  3d  Nones  of  October,  Festus  being  Consul. 

What  must  have  been  the  custom  of  the  Church 
when  these  epitaphs  were  publicly  set  up!     We 
believe,  indeed,  that  those  bishops,-  who,  by  their 
*  BinghanCs  Orig.  EccU&.%  lib.  iv.,  c  v. 
9* 


202  THE    CATACOMBS    OF    ROME. 

support  of  matrimony  among  the  clergy,  drew 
down  upon  themselves  the  indignation  of  Jerome, 
were  introducing  no  new  doctrine,  but  rather  stri- 
ving, in  an  innovating  age,  to  prolong  the  early 
simplicity  of  the  Church.  The  very  spirit,  how- 
ever, against  which  they  warred,  showed  that 
clouds  were  darkening  the  horizon  about  them. 

We  have  thus  dwelt  upon  a  few  points  to  illus- 
trate the  difference  between  the  ancient  Church  of 
Rome  and  its  modern  successor.  We  unhesitating- 
ly assert,  that  not  one  of  the  doctrines  or  practices, 
which  we  look  upon  as  errors,  can  find  support 
from  these  primitive  records.  With  regard  to 
many  points,  now  much  insisted  on  in  the  Church 
of  Rome,  the  very  silence  of  these  inscriptions  in 
the  Catacombs  is  most  conclusive.  We  feel,  there- 
fore, that  in  deciding  on  what  is  apostolical,  we 
will  take  our  part  and  lot  with  these  early  Chris- 
tians, for  in  the  very  simplicity  of  their  creed  we 
breathe  the  freshness  of  primitive  times.  And  in 
so  doing,  we  are  but  adopting  that  rule  of  Tertul- 
lian — "Whatever  is  first,  is  true ;  whatever  is  more 
recent,  is  spurious."* 

*  "  Perseque  adversus  universas  hrcreses  jam  hinc  prrejudicatum 
sit ;  id  est  verum,  quodcunque  primutn ;  id  esse  adulterum,  quod- 
cunque  posterius." — Tertull.  adv.  Prax.,  Oper.  ii.,  p.  405. 


IX. 


CONCLUSION 


IX. 

CONCLUSION. 

There  is  a  legend  of  the  Eastern  Church,  which 
has  been  preserved,  not  only  by  its  beauty,  but  be- 
cause it  embodies  a  melancholy  truth  with  regard 
to  the  changes  which  a  few  centuries  wrought  in 
the  early  faith.  The  scene  was  laid  at  Ephesus,  in 
the  Decian  persecution,  which  so  severely  tried  the 
strength  of  those  who  then  professed  the  Christian 
name.  But  while  the  storm  was  raging,  and  the 
stake  and  the  arena  were  each  day  seeking  new 
victims,  seven  youth  fled  from  their  adversaries, 
and  sought  refuge  in  a  lonely  cave  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  city.  And  there  God  permitted  them 
to  fall  into  a  death-like  slumber. 

They  slept  on,  in  this  miraculous  way,  without 
injuring  the  powers  of  life,  while  years  expanded 
into  centuries.  One  persecution  after  another 
passed  by,  till,  the  rage  of  the  adversary  was  ex- 
hausted, yet  neither  the  sounds  of  sorrow  or  re- 
joicing broke  their  enduring  trance.  Christianity 
vindicated  its  claim  to  the  dominion  of  the  human 
mind,  the  faith  was  heard  in  Caesar's  palace,  and 


206  THE    CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

the  imperial  master  of  the  world  adopted  the  cross 
as  his  badge  of  honor.  Then,  at  last,  one  of  them 
awoke ;  but  to  him  it  had  only  been  the  dream  of 
a  night.  He  was  ignorant  of  the  mighty  changes 
which  had  passed,  and  leaving  his  companions 
still  slumbering,  he  cautiously  crept  from  his 
hiding-place  and  entered  his  native  Ephesus. 
There,  he  gazed  about  him  bewildered,  for  centu- 
ries had  left  scarcely  a  familiar  feature  in  his  an- 
cient home.  A  gilded  cross  over  the  city-gate  by 
which  he  entered,  particularly  awakened  his  sur- 
prise. At  length,  with  fear  and  trembling,  he 
asked,  "  Whether  there  were  any  Christians  in  the 
city?"  —  "Christians!"  was  the  answer,  "we  are 
all  Christians  here !"  And  then  he  learned  how 
long  his  slumber  must  have  lasted,  and  how  mighty 
the  changes,  which  during  that  interval  had  been 
wrought  in  the  condition  of  the  world.  A  "  great 
gulf"  separated  him  from  the  hour  in  which  he 
had  fallen  asleep.  He  looked  in  vain  for  the  once 
honored  temples  of  heathenism,  but  saw  them  every- 
where replaced  by  those  dedicated  to  the  worship 
of  his  crucified  Master.  He  found  the  cross  a  hal- 
lowed emblem,  and  the  gospel  honored  where  be- 
fore he  had  known  its  profession  rewarded  only 
with  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  The  home  of  the 
bigoted  Jew  was  now  a  place  of  desolation — the 
Greek  philosopher  had  acknowledged  his  wisdom 
to  be  foolishness,  at  the  foot  of  the  cro68 — and  all 
that  might  and  power  of  the  Western  world,  which 
once  guarded  with  such  jealous  care  the  rites  of 
paganism,  were  now  pledged  to  maintain  the  su- 
premacy of  the  faith  which  had  supplanted  it.    The 


CONCLUSION.  207 

power  of  heathenism  was  broken,  and  all,  from  the 
emperor  down  to  his  lowest  subject,  professed  that 
holy  name  which  first  the  disciples  assumed  at  An- 
tioch. 

His  strange  speech  and  antiquated  garb  attracted 
the  attention  of  those  he  encountered,  until  finally 
he  was  brought  before  the  prasfect.  There  his 
story  was  told,  and  in  amazement  all — the  magis- 
trates, the  bishop,  and  the  emperor  himself — fol- 
lowed him  to  his  hiding-place.  They  found  his 
companions  still  sleeping,  and,  in  the  language  of 
the  legend,  "  their  faces  had  the  freshness  of  roses, 
and  a  holy  and  beautiful  light  was  about  them." 

At  the  call  of  those  who  had  gathered  in  the 
cave,  they  too  awoke ;  and  we  may  imagine  the 
strange,  bewildering  joy  which  took  the  place  of 
all  their  fears.  They  felt  that  the  Golden  Age 
promised  by  their  Lord  had  come,  and  righteous- 
ness was  now  to  mantle  the  renovated  earth.  And 
then  their  thanksgiving  was  offered  up,  that  they 
had  been  spared  to  witness  these  glorious  times, 
and  to  spend  their  days  where  everything  around 
them  only  ministered  to  devotion.  But  a  brief 
experience  dispelled  these  bright  visions.  They 
found  that  the  world  had  been  but  Christianized  in 
name.  They  looked  in  vain  for  the  faith  and  de- 
votion of  those  who  were  once  their  brethren,  for 
these  qualities  seemed  known  but  by  tradition  as 
the  traits  of  an  age  of  martyrdom.  They  found 
that  expiring  paganism,  in  its  last  convulsive  strug- 
gles, had  thrown  "its  mantle  over  tht  power  which 
conquered  it,  and  in  place  of  the  pure  faith  of  their 
early  friends,  they  witnessed  a  distorted  religion, 


208  THE   CATACOMBS   OF   ROME. 

possessing  little  resemblance  to  that  which  it  had 
supplanted.  Forms,  too,  and  ceremonies  had  been 
imported  from  the  heathen  world,  until  the  simple 
rites  of  the  first  centuries  were  overloaded  and  ob- 
scured. And  thus  they  turned  away  in  sorrow 
from  a  world  which  called  itself,  indeed,  by  their 
Master's  name,  but  retained  so  little  the  lineaments 
of  the  faith  for  which  he  died.  The  earth  had  be- 
come darkened  to  them,  and  they  found  they  could 
live  only  in  "  the  light  of  other  days."  And,  there- 
fore, in  their  wreariness  and  sorrow,  they  turned 
once  more  to  the  cave,  which  for  two  centuries  had 
been  their  resting-place,  beseeching  God  to  restore 
them  again  to  that  slumber  which  had  been  broken. 
And  to  the  crowds  which  followed  them,  they  ex- 
claimed :  "  You  have  shown  us  many  heathen  who 
have  given  up  their  old  idolatry  without  gaining 
anything  better  in  its  room — many  who  are  of  no 
religion  at  all — ancTmany  with  wThom  the  religion 
of  Christ  is  no  more  than  a  cloak  of  licentiousness 
i —  but  where,  where  are  the  Christians  ?" 

And  their  prayer  was  granted.  They  had  dis- 
charged the  duty  assigned  them,  and  uttered  the 
reproof  for  which  they  had  been  raised  from  their 
long  slumber.  Once  more,  then,  they  sank  to  rest, 
but  now  it  was  the  sleep  of  death  from  which  there 
was  to  be  no  awakening,  until  their  Lord  came 
again  to  visit  his  heritage.  And  thus  their  spirits 
went  to  be  with  those  who  had  once  rendered  the 
earth  fragrant  with  their  footsteps,  and  whom  they 
remembered  as  the  teachers  and  guides  of  their 
early  days.* 

*  In  the  latter  part  of  this  fable,  we  have  followed  the  version 


CONCLUSION.  209 

Transfer  this  scene  to  Rome,  and  we  believe  the 
fable  "would  teacn  a  melancholy  trfrth._  If  a  voice 
could  now  summon  forth  from  flieir  tombs  in  the 
Catacombs  some  of  those  who,  in  the  purest  ages 
of  the  Roman  Church,  were  there  laid  to  their  rest, 
we  believe  that  their  disappointment  on  entering 
the  Imperial  city  would  be  as  great  as  was  that  of 
the  sleepers  at  Ephesus.  They  would  be  able,  in- 
deed, to  worship  beneath  gilded  roofs,  and  find  the 
most  gorgeous  structures  in  the  world  erected  in 
honor  of  their  crucified  Lord  ;  but  the  faith  which 
there  is  enshrined  would  be  widely  different  from 
that  which  they  had  learned  in  their  living  day. 
And  this  is  the  argument  we  have  endeavored  to 
present.  We  wish  to  show  the  wide  interval  there 
is  in  faith  and  practice,  between  the  primitive 
Christians  of  Rome,  and  those  who  now  dwell 
upon  the  Seven  Hills — how  long  the  way  which 
the  Church  must  travel  back  before  she  shall  reach 
again  the  path  from  which  she  has  wandered,  or 
put  on  that  "  original  brightness,"  which  in  the 
apostle's  day  caused  her  "faith  to  be  spoken  of 
throughout  the  whole  world."* 

The  feeling  with  which  we  read  these  epitaphs  is 
the  same,  in  some  respects,  with  which  we  study 
the  epistles  of  the  apostles.  There  is  a  plainness 
and  manliness  with  which  they  appeal  to  the  con- 
science of  the  reader,  which  he  can  not  but  at  once 
appreciate.  They  speak  directly  to  the  heart,  and 
bring  forward  those  truths  about  which  the  affec- 

given  by  Bishop  Heber,  rather  than  the  usual  legend.    See  Mrs. 
JamiesorCs  Legendary  Art. 
*  Rom.,  i.,  8. 


210  THE   CATACOMBS    OF  ROME. 

tions  and  hopes  can  instinctively  gather.  They  pbce 
man  in  direct  communication  with  the  Deity.  No 
mediation  of  the  Virgin  or  the  Saints  is  mentioned 
in  the  Epistles,  and  we  trace  none  in  the  inscrip- 
tions written  by  those  who  stood  nearest  to  their 
Lord.  We  have  to  ascend  from  these  dim  retreats 
and  enter  the  gorgeous  temples  of  Rome's  present 
faith,  to  find  ourselves  in  contact  with  the  manifold 
corruptions  which  ages  of  darkness  have  bequeathed. 
The  words  of  Scripture  we  believe  to  be  clear 
and  explicit  against  what  we  regard  as  the  addi- 
tions of  the  Churcn  of  Rome,  to  the  pure  doctrines 
of  early  times.  And  the  testimony  of  history,  too, 
is  equally  plain.  From  the  ages  of  a  dim  and  dis- 
tant past,  the  voice  of  centuries  comes  down  to 
us,  rebuking  the  changes  which  superstition  has 
wrought  since  apostles  went  to  their  rest.  Yet 
nothing,  we  confess,  has  ever  so  deeply  impressed 
us  with  regard  to  the  reality  of  primitive  truth  and 
purity,  as  the  study  of  these  epitaphs.  "When  the 
gorgeous  services  of  the  Church  were  passing  be- 
fore us  in  the  Sistine  chapel,  and  cardinals,  prelates, 
and  priests,  in  their  richest  -robes,  had  gathered  about 
the  altar  —  when  the  most  splendid  music  in  the 
world  was  swelling  through  the  lofty-frescoed 
arches,  and  sounding  back  from  the  porphyry  pil- 
lars, so  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  sublime  anthem 
could  almost,  by  its  glorious  strains,  recall  the  dead 
to  life — we  have  thought  of  the  simple  hymn  of 
praise  which  once  echoed  through  the  dim  chtfpels 
of  the  Catacombs,  and  wondered  what  those  who 
then  joined  in  it  would  have  thought  of  all  this 
show  and  pageantry.    And  when  the  hour  of  Yes- 


CONCLUSION.  211 

pers  came,  and  the  sun  gilded  with  his  last  rays  the 
dome  of  St.  Peter's,  before  he  sank  to  his  golden 
bed  behind  the  Pincian  Hill,  and  the  stars  came 
out  in  the  clear  blue  of  an  Italian  sky,  as  a  thou- 
sand bells  sent  their  chimings  up  through  the  dark- 
ening heavens  and  away  over  the  desolate  Gam- 
pagna,  we  have  remembered  how  changed  was  the 
service  to  which  they  summoned  their  worshippers 
—  how  prayers  went  up  to  saints  and  martyrs, 
"  men  of  like  passions  with  ourselves,"  instead  of 
the  one  Lord,  with  whose  name  alone  upon  their  lips 
these  ancient  saints  had  died,  and  it  seemed  to  us 
as  if  Rome  had  again  put  on  somewhat  the  gar- 
ments of  her  old  heathenism.  Oh,  solemn  and 
mysterious  city  of  the  mighty  dead !  city,  rich 
with  the  garnered  dust  of  the  saints,  and  more 
consecrated  by  sacred  memories  of  the  past  than 
any  spot  on  earth ;  but  that  holy  city,  where  our 
Lord  himself  taught,  and  wept,  and  sorrowed,  and 
from  which  he  bore  his  cross  up  the  Hill  of  Suffer- 
ing, how  art  thou  fallen  from  the  glory  of  thy 
early  youth !  How  often  is  the  pilgrim  obliged  to 
turn  away  from  thy  shrines,  because  the  teachings 
which  they  utter  would  have  been  strange  to  those 
who  sat  at  the  apostles'  feet. 

It  is  for  this  reason  we  are  thankful  that  Rome 
thus  bears  within  her  own  bosom,  the  proof  of  that* 
early  purity  from  which  she  herself  has  wandered 
— that  the  spirit  of  the  First  Ages  is  so  indelibly 
stamped  on  the  walls  of  the  Catacombs,  that  no 
sophistry  can  explain  away  its  force.  There  the 
elements  of  a  pure  faith  are  written  "  with  an  iron 
pen,  in  the  rock,  for  ever;"  and  the  Church  has 


212  THE   CATACOMBS    OF   ROME. 

only  to  look  to  "  the  hole  of  the  pit  whence  she 
was  digged,"  to  see  what  she  should  again  become. 
Would  that  she  could  learn  the  lesson !  "Would 
that,  retaining  the  zeal  with  which  she  clings  to  the 
essentials  of  faith,  and  that  wide-spread  policy  which 
embraces  the  whole  earth  in  its  grasp,  she  could  cast 
aside  the  corruptions  which  ages  of  darkness  have 
gathered  over  her,  and  use  her  mighty  strength  for 
the  renovation  of  this  fallen  wrorld.  "We  look  back 
with  thankfulness  to  the  hour,  when  the  eye  of 
Gregory  I.  rested  on  the  captive  Angles,  in  a  Ro- 
man slave-market,  and  he  planned  that  enterprise 
which  was  to  infuse  new  life  into  the  expiring 
Church  of  Britain,  and  our  prayers  go  up,  that  the 
hour  may  come  when  Rome  shall  be  once  more 
linked  in  the  bonds  of  a  pure  faith  with  that  Apos- 
tolic Church,  that  side  by  side  they  may  go  forth 
to  that  struggle  which  awaits  the  true-hearted  in 
urging  on  their  Master's  cause.  But  now,  we  feel 
that  an  impassable  barrier  separates  us  from  the 
Church  which  sits  enthroned  upon  the  Seven  Hills. 
"We  see  too  plainly  the  many  errors  with  which 
she  has  deformed  the  faith,  and  it  is  therefore  with 
a  feeling  of  relief  that  we  turn  from  the  gorgeous 
services  of  St.  Peter's,  to  the  traces  of  a  simpler 
faith  in  the  Church  in  the  Catacombs. 


THE     END. 


J.  S.  REDFIELD, 

110  AND  112  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK, 

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By  Joseph  Francois  Michaud.     Translated  by  W.  Robson,  3  vols. 
12mo.,  maps,  $3  75. 

"  It  is  comprehensive  and  accurate  in  the  detail  of  facts,  methodical  and  lucid  in  ar- 
rangement, with  a  lively  and  flowing  narrative." — Journal  of  Commerce. 

"  We  need  not  6ay  that  the  work  of  Michaud  has  superseded  all  other  histories 
of  the  Crusades.  This  history  has  long  been  the  standard  work  with  all  who  could 
read  it  in  its  original  language.  Another  work  on  the  same  subject  is  as  improbable 
as  a  new  history  of  the  '  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire.'  " — Salem  Freeman. 

"  The  most  faithful  and  masterly  history  ever  written  of  the  wild  ware  for  the  Holy 
Land." — Philadelphia  American  Courier. 

"The  ability,  diligence,  and  faithfulness,  with  which  Michaud  has  executed  his 
great  task,  are  undisputed  ;  and  it  is  to  his  well-filled  volumes  that  the  historical  stu- 
dent must  now  resort  for  copious  and  authentic  facts,  and  luminous  views  respecting 
this  most  romantic  and  wonderful  period  in  the  annals  of  the  Old  World." — Boston 
Daily  Courier. 


^}H 


MARMADUKE  WYVIL. 

An  Historical  Romance  of  1651,  by  Henry  W.  Herbert,  author 
of  the  "  Cavaliers  of  England,"  &c,  &c.  Fourteenth  Edition. 
Revised  and  Corrected. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  best  works  of  the  kind  we  have  ever  read — full  of  thrilling  inci- 
dents and  adventures  in  the  stirring  times  of  Cromwell,  and  in  that  style  which  /has 
made  the  works  of  Mr.  Herbert  so  popular." — Christian  Freeman,  Boston. 

"The  work  is  distinguished  by  the  same  historical  knowledge,  thrilling  incident,  and 
pictorial  beauty  of  style,  which  havt.  characterized  all  Mr.  Herbert's  fictions  and  imparted 
to  them  such  a  bewitching  interest." — Yankee  Blade. 

"  The  author  out  of  a  simple  plot  and  very  few  characters,  has  constructed  a  novel 
of  deep  interest  and  of  considerable  historical  value.  It  will  be  found  well  worth 
rending"—  National  ^gis,  Worcester. 


REDFIKLDS    NEW    AND    POPULAR    PUBLICATIONS. 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  IRISH  BAR. 

By  the  Right.  Hon.  Richard  Lalor  Sheil,  M.  P.  Edited  with 
a  Memoir  and  Notes,  by  Dr.  Shelton  Mackenzie.  Fourth 
Edition.     In  2  vols.     Price  $2  00. 

"  They  attracted  universal  attention  by  their  brilliant  and  pointed  style,  and  their  lib- 
erality of  sentiment.  The  Notes  embody  a  great  amount  of  biographical  information, 
terary  gossip,  legal  and  political  anecdote,  and  amusing  reminiscences,  and,  in  fact, 
omit  nothing  that  is  essential  to  the  perfect  elucidation  of  the  text"—  IVew  York  Tribune. 

"They  are  the  best  edited  books  we  have  met  for  many  a  year.  They  form,  with 
Mackenzie's  notes,  a  complete  biographical  dictionary,  containing  succinct  and  clever 
sketches  of  all  the  famous  people  of  England,  and  particularly  of  Ireland,  to  whom  the 
slightest  allusions  are  made  in  the  text." — The  Citizen  {John  Mitchet). 

"  Dr.  Mackenzie  deserves  the  thanks  of  men  of  letters,  particularly  of  Irishmen,  for 
his  research  and  care.  Altogether,  the  work  is  one  we  can  recommend  in  the  highest 
terms." — Philadelphia  City  Item. 

"Such  a  repertory  of  wit,  humor,  anecdote,  and  out-gushing  fun,  mincled  with  the 
deepest  pathos,  when  we  reflect  upon  the  sad  fate  of  Ireland,  as  this  book  affords,  it  were 
ban  to  find  written  in  any  other  pair  of  covers." — Buffalo  Daily  Courier. 

"As  a  whole,  a  more  sparkling  lively  series  of  portraits  was  hardly  ever  set  in  a  single 
gallery  It  is  Irish  all  over;  the  wit,  the  folly,  the  extravagance,  HIlcl  the  fire  are  all 
alike  characteristic  of  writer  and  subjects." — Xcio  York  Evangelist. 

"  These  volumes  afford  a  rich  treat  to  the  lovers  of  literature." — Hartford  Christian  Sec 


4 


CLASSIC  AND  HISTORIC  PORTRAITS. 
By  James  Bruce.     12mo,  cloth,  $1  00. 

"  A  series  of  personal  sketches  of  distinguished  individuals  of  all  aires,  embracinc  pen 
and  ink  portraits  of  near  sixty  persons  from  Sappho  down  to  Madame  de  Btaet  They 
show  much  research,  and  possess  that  interest  which  attaches  to  the  private  life  of  those 
whose  names  are  known  to  fame." — Ntm  Jlaren  Journal  and  Courier. 

"They  are  comprehensive,  well-written,  and  judicious,  both  in  the  selection  of  sub- 
jects and  the  manner  of  treating  them." — Boston  Atlas. 

"  The  imihor  has  painted  in  minute  touches  the  characteristics  of  each  with  various 
personal  details,  all  interestincr,  and  all  calculated  to  furnish  to  the  mind's  eye  a  complete 
portraiture  of  the  individual  described."— Albany  Knickerbocker. 

"  The  sketches  are  full  and  graphic,  many  authorities  having  evidently  been  consulted 
by  the  author  in  their  preparation." — Boston  Journal. 


** 


THE  WORKINGMANS  WAY  IN  THE  WORLD. 

Being  the  Autobiography  of  a  Journeyman  Printer.  By  Charles 
Ma.nby  Smith,  author  of  "Curiosities  of  London  Life."  12mo, 
cloth,  $1  00. 

"Written  by  a  man  of  genius  and  of  most  extraordinary  powers  of  description." — 
Boston  Traveller. 

"  It  will  be  read  with  no  small  degree  of  interest  by  the  professional  brethren  of  the 
author,  as  well  as  by  all  who  find  attractions  in  a  well-told  tale  of  a  wotkingman." — 
Boston  Atlas. 

'An  amusing  as  well  as  instructive  book,  telling  how  humble  obscurity  cuts  its  way 
through  the  world  with  energy,  perseverance,  and  integrity." — Albany  Knickerbocker. 

"The  book  is  the  most  entertaining  we  have  met  with  for  moui\i*,"—l'hiladtlj>hia 
Evening  Bulletin.  ' 

'  II"  has  evidently  moved  through  the  world  with  his  eyes  open,  and  having  a  vein 
of  humor  in  hia  nature,  lias  written  one  of  the  most  readable  booka  of  the  season."— 
Zion'a  Herald. 


redfield's  new  and  popular  publications. 

MA  CA  ULA  TS  SPEE  CHES. 

Speeches  by  the  Right  Hon.  T.  B.  Macaulay,  M.  P.,  Author  of 
44  The  History  of  England,"  44  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome,"  &c,  &c. 
Two  vols.,  12mo,  price  $2.00. 

"  It  is  hard  to  say  whether  his  poetry,  his  speeches  in  parliament,  or  his  brilliant 
essays,  are  the  most  charming;  each  has  raised  him  to  very  great  eminence,  and  would 
be  sufficient  to  constitute  the  reputation  of  any  ordinary  man." — Sir  Archibald  Alison 

"It may  be  stud  that  Great  Britain  has  produced  no  statesman  since  Burke,  who  has 
united  in  so  eminent  a  degree  as  Macaulay  the  lofty  and  cultivated  genius,  the  eloquent 
orat<  r,  and  the  sagacious  and  far-reaching  politician." — Albany  Argus. 

"  We  do  not  know  of  any  living  English  orator,  whose  eloquence  comee  so  near  the 
ancient  ideal— close,  rapid,  powerful,  practical  reasoning,  animated  by  an  intense  earn 
estness  of  feeling." — Courier  If  Enquirer. 

"  Mr.  Macaulay  has  lately  acquired  as  great  a  reputation  as  an  orator,  as  he  had  for- 
merly won  as  an  essayist  and  historian.  He  takes  in  his  speeches  the  same  wide  and 
comprehensive  grasp  of  his  subject  that  he  does  in  his  essays,  and  treats  it  in  the  same 
elegant  style."— Philadelphia  Evening  Bulletin. 

"  The  same  elaborate  finish,  sparkling  antithesis,  full  sweep  and  copious  flow  of 
thought,  and  transparency  of  style,  which  made  his  essays  so  attractive,  are  found  in 
his  speeches.  They  are  so  perspicuous,  so  brilliantly  studded  with  ornament  and  illus- 
tration, and  so  resistless  in  their  current,  that  they  appear  at  the  time  to  be  the  wises* 
and  greatest  of  human  compositions," — NewYork  Evangelist. 


**. 


TRENCH  ON  PROVERBS. 

On  the  Lessons  in  Proverbs,  by  Richard  Chenevix  Trench,  B.  D., 

Professor  of  Divinity  in  King's  College,  London,  Author  of  the 
44  Study  of  Words."'     12mo,  cloth,  50  cents. 

"Another  charming  book  by  the  author  of  the  4<  Study  of  Words,"  on  a  subject  which 
is  so  ingeniously  treated,  that  we  wonder  no  one  has  treated  it  before." — Yankee  Blade. 

"  It  is  a  book  at  once  profoundly  instructive,  and  at  the  same  time  deprived  of  all 
approach  to  dryness,  by  the  charming  manner  in  which  the  subject  is  treated."—  Ar- 
thur's Home  Gazette. 

"  It  is  a  wide  field,  and  one  which  the  author  has  well  cultivated,  adding  not  only  to 
his  own  reputation,  but  a  valuable  work  to  our  literature." — Albany  Evening  Tra?iscript. 

"  The  work  shows  an  acute  perception,  a  genial  appreciation  of  wit,  and  great  re- 
search. It  is  a  very  rare  and  agreeable  production,  which  may  be  read  with  profit  and 
delight." — New  York  Evangelist. 

"  The  style  of  tho  author  is  terse  and  vigorous — almost  a  model  in  its  kind."— Port 
land  Eclectic. 


* 


THE  LION  SKIN 

And  the  Lover  Hunt ;  by  Charles  de  Bernard.     12mo,  $1.00. 

"  It  is  not  often  the  novel-reader  can  find  on  his  bookseller's  shelf  a  publication  so  full 
of  incidents  and  good  humor,  and  at  the  same  time  so  provocative  of  honest  thought" 
~ -National  (Worcester,  Mass.)  Mgis. 

"  It  is  full  of  incidents  ;  and  the  reader  becomes  so  interested  in  the  principal  person, 
ages  in  the  work,  that  he  is  unwilling  to  lay  the  book  down  until  he  has  learned  theii 
Whole  history." — Boston  Olive  Branch. 

•'  It  is  refreshing  to  meet  occasionally  with  a  well-published  story  which  is  written  for 
a  story,  and  for  nothing  else — which  is  not  tipped  with  the  snapper  of  a  moral,  oi 
loaded  in  the  handle  with  a  pound  of  philanthropy,  or  an  equal  quantity  of  leaden  phi 
losophy."— Springfield  Republican. 


KEDFIELDS    NEW    AND    POPULAR    PUBLICATIONS. 

MOORE'S  LIFE  OF  SHERIDAN. 

Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  the  Rt.  Hon.  Richard  Brinsley  Sheridan, 
by  Thomas  Moore,  with  Portrait  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 
Two  vols.,  12mo,  cloth,  $2.00. 

"One  of  the  mo8t  brilliant  biographies  in  English  literature.  It  is  the  life  of  a  wit 
written  by  a  wit,  and  few  of  Tom  Moore's  most  sparkling  poems  are  more  brilliant  and 
'ascinating  than  this  biography."—  Boston  Transcript. 

"  This  is  at  once  a  most  valuable  biography  of  the  most  celebrated  wit  of  the  times. 
id  one  of  the  most  entertaining  works  of  its  gifted  author." — Springfield  Republican. 

"  The  Life  of  Sheridan,  the  wit,  contains  as  much  food  for  serious  thought  as  the 
best  sermon  that  was  ever  penned." — Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 

"The  sketch  of  such  a  character  and  career  as  Sheridan's  by  sue  \and  as  Moore's, 
can  never  cease  to  be  attractive." — N.  Y.  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

"  The  work  is  instructive  and  full  of  interest." — Christian  Intelligencer. 

"  It  is  a  gem  of  biography ;  full  of  incident,  elegantly  written,  warmly  appreciative, 
and  on  the  whole  candid  and  just.  Sheridan  was  a  rare  and  wonderiul  genius,  and  haa 
in  this  work  justice  done  to  his  surpassing  merits."—  N.  Y.  Evangelist. 


wN 


BARRINGTON'S  SKETCHES. 

Personal  Sketches  of  his  own  Time,  by  Sir  Jonah  Barrington, 
Judge  if  the  High  Court  of  Admiralty  in  Ireland,  with  Illustra- 
tions by  Darley.     Third  Edition,  12mo,  cloth,  $1  25. 

"  A  more  entertaining  book  than  this  ;-  not  often  thrown  in  our  way.  His  sketches 
of  character  are  inimitable  ;  and  many  of  the  prominent  men  of  his  time  are  hit  offra 
the  most  striking  and  graceful  outline." — Albany  Argus. 

"  He  was  a  very  shrewd  observer  and  eccentric  writer,  and  his  narrative  of  his  ow»i 
life,  and  sketches  of  society  in  Ireland  during  his  times,  are  exceedingly  humorous  and 
interesting." — N.  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"  It  is  one  of  those  works  which  are  conceived  and  written  in  so  hearty  a  view,  and 
brings  before  the  reader  so  many  palpable  and  amusing  characters,  that  the  entertain 
ment  and  information  are  equally  balanced."—  Boston  Iranscript. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  most  entertaining  books  of  the  season."— jV.  Y.  Recorder. 

"  It  portrays  in  life-like  colors  the  characters  and  daily  habits  of  nearly  all  the  Eng 
lish  and  Irish  celebrities  of  that  period."—  K  Y.  Courier  and  Enquirer. 


JOMINFS  CAMPAIGN  OF  WATERLOO. 

The  Political  and  Military  History  of  the  Campaign  of  Waterloo 
from  tne  French  of  Gen.  Baron  Jomini,  by  Lieut.  S  "V.  Bknf.t 
U.  S.  Ordnance,  with  a  Map,  12mo,  cloth,  75  cents. 

"Of  great  value,  both  for  its  historical  merit  and  its  acknowledged  impartiality."— 
Christian  Freeman,  Boston. 

"  It  has  loug  been  regarded  in  Europe  as  a  work  of  more  than  ordinary  merit,  while 
to  military  men  his  review  of  the  tactics  and  manoeuvres  of  the  French  Emperor  dur- 
ing the  few  days  which  preceded  his  final  and  most  disastrous  defeat,  is  considered  ai 
instructive,  as  it  is  interesting."— Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 

"  It  is  a  standard  authority  and  illustrates  a  subject  of  permanent  interest.  Witfe 
military  students,  and  historical  inquirers,  it  will  be  a  favorite  reference,  and  for  the 
general  reader  it  possesses  great  value  and  interest." — Boston  Transcript. 

"  It  throws  much  light  on  often  mooted  points  respecting  Napoleon's  military  and 
political  genius.     The  translation  is  one  of  much  vigor."— Boston  Commonwealth. 

"It  supplies  an  important  chapter  in  the  most  interesting  and  eventful  period  of  Na 
poleon's  military  career." — Savannah  Daily  News. 

"  It  is  ably  written  and  skilfully  translated." — Yankee  Blade. 


REDFIELD'S   NEW   AND   popular   publications. 


LIFE  IN  THE  MISSION. 

Life  in  the  Mission,  the  Camp,  and  the  Zenana.     By  Mrs.  Colib 
Mackenzie.     2  vols.,  12mo.     Cloth.     $2  00. 

"  It  is  enlivened  with  countless  pleasant  anecdotes,  and  altogether  is  one  of  the  most 
entertaining  and  valuable  works  ot  the  kind  that  we  have  met  with  for  many  a  day." — 
Boston  Traveller. 

1  A  more  charming  production  has  not  iss\ied  from  the  press  for  years,  than  this  jour- 
nal of  Mrs.  Mackenzie." — Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 

"  She  also  gives  us  a  clearer  insight  into  the  manners,  position,  climate,  and  way  of 
life  in  general,  in  that  distant  land,  than  we  have  been  able  to  obtain  from  any  other 
work." — Christian  Herald. 

44  Her  obserVations  illustrative  of  the  religious  state  of  things,  and  of  the  progress  of 
Missions  in  the  East,  will  be  found  specially  valuable.  It  is  on  the  whole  a  fascinating 
work,  and  withal  is  fitted  to  do  good." — Puritan  Recorder. 

"  She  was  familiarly  acquainted  with  some  of  the  excellent  laborers  sent  out  by  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  of  whom  she  speaks  in  the  most  favorable 
terms.    The  work  is  instructive  and  very  readable." — Presbyterian. 


£*, 


WESTERN  CHARACTERS. 

Western  Characters;  being  Types  of  Border  Life  in  the  Western 
States.  By  J.  L.  M'Connel.  Author  of  *•  Talbot  and  Vernon," 
''The  Glenns,"  &c,  &c.  With  Six  Illustrations  by  Darley. 
12mo.     Cloth.     $1  25. 

"  Ten  different  classes  are  sketched  in  this  admirable  book,  and  written  by  the  hand 
of  a  master.  The  author  is  an  expert  limner,  and  makes  his  portraits  striking." — Buf- 
falo Express. 

"  Never  has  Parley's  pencil  been  more  effectively  used.  The  writer  and  sketcher 
have  made  a  unique  and  most  attractive  American  book." — Boston  Transcript. 

44  When  we  say  that  the  book  before  us  is  calm  in  style  as  it  is  forcible  in  matter,  we 
have  indicated  a  sufficiency  of  good  qualities  to  secure  the  attention  of  the  reader,  who 
would  extend  his  sympathies  and  secure  himself  n  due  degree  of  amusement,  without 
— what  is  not  uncommon  in  books  with  similar  titles — a  shock  to  his  taste,  or  insult  to 
his  judgment.  There  is  nothing  equal  to  them  in  the  book  illustrations  of  the  day.  A 
speciarparagraph  should  be  given  to  the  illustrations  by  Darley." — Literary  World. 


+k 


A  THANKSGIVING  STORY. 

Chanticleer:  A  Story  of  the  Peabody  Family.  By  Cornelius 
Mathews.  With  Illustrations  by  Darley,  Walcutt,  and  Dallas. 
12mo.     75  cents. 

•  Its  success  is  already  a  fixed  fact  in  our  literature.  •Chanticleer'  is  one  of  those 
simple  and  interesting  tales  which,  like  the  'Vicar  of  Wakefield'  and  Zchokke's  4  Poor 
Pastor,"  win  their  way  to  the  reader's  heart  and  dwell  there.  It  is  full  of  sunshine:  a 
hearty  and  a  genial  book." — New  York  Daily  Times. 

44 '  Chanticleer'  is  scarcely  inferior  !n  a  literary  point  of  view  to  any  of  the  Christmas 
stories  of  Charles  Dickens,  and  is  more  interesting:  to  Americans  because  of  its  allusions 
to  the  peculiar  customs  of  this  country." — N.  Y.  Com.  Advertiser. 

444  Chanticleer'  has  won  the  public  heart,  both  by  the  felicity  of  its  subject,  and  the 
grace,  wit,  and  goodness,  displayed  in  its  execution." — Southern  Literary  Gazette. 

44  It  possesses  literary  merit  of  the  highest  order,  and  will  live  in  the  atfections  of  all 
readers  of  good  taste  and  good  morals,  not  only  while  Thanksgiving  dinners  are  rem*  m- 
bered,  but  while  genius  is  appreciated."— Morning  News,  Savannah. 


REDFIKLD'S    NEW    AND    TOPULAR    PUBLICATIONS. 


THE  BLACKWATER  CHRONICLE  ;  , 

A  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  into  the  Land  of  Canaan,  in  Ran- 
dolph County,  Virginia,  a  Country  flowing  with  Wild  Animals, 
such  as  Panthers,  Bears,  Wolves,  Elk,  Deer,  Otter,  Badger,  &c, 
&c,  with  innumerable  Trout,  by  Five  Adventurous  Gentlemen, 
without  any  Aid  of  Government,  and  solely  by  their  Own  Re- 
sources, in  the  Summer  of  1851.  By  "  The  Clerke  of  Oxen- 
forde."     With  Illustrations  from  Life,  by  Strother. 

"This  is  a  handsomely-printed  mid  beautifully-illustrated  volume.  Those  who  hare 
a  taste  for  field  (porta  will  be  delighted  with  this  cleverly-written  narrative  of  the 
achievements  and  experiences  of  a  hunting  party  in  the  hunting-grounds  of  the  Old 
Dominion." — Savannah  Daily  News. 

"A  queer,  quaint,  amusingly-written  book,  brimful  of  drollery  and  dare-devil  humor. 
The  work  overflows  with  amusement,  and  has  a  vignette-title  and  other  beautiful  illus 
trations,  by  Strother." — Yankee  Blade. 

"A  pleasant  book  of  American  character  and  adventure,  of  interest  geographically, 
sportively,  and  poetically.  The  authorship  is  of  a  good  inti'llectual  race  ;  the  "Clerke 
of  Oxenforde,"  who  figures  in  the  title-page,  being  own  brother  to  the  author  of  "  Swal- 
low Barn,"  which,  as  everybody  knows,  is  the  "  Sketch-Book"  of  that  laud  of  gentlemen 
and  humorists." — Literary  World. 


qx£± 


MINNESOTA  AND  ITS  RESOURCES ; 

To  which  are  Appended  Camp-Fire  Sketches,  or  Notes  of  a  Trip 

from  St.  Paul  to  Pembina  and  Selkirk  Settlements  on  the  Red 

River  of  the  North.  By  J.  Weslky  Bond.  With  a  New 
Map  of  the  Territory,  a  View  of  St.  Paul,  and  One  of  the  Falls 

of  St.  Anthony.     In  One  Volume,  12mo.     Cloth.     $1  00. 

'•  To  the  immigrant  to  the  northwest,  and  to  the  tourist  in  search  of  pleasure  i'  hi  wot* 
thy  of  beinir  commended  for  the  valuable  and  interesting  knowledge  it  contains." — Chi 
cago  Daily  Tribune. 

•'  The  work  will  surprise  many,  ns  it  opens  to  us  n  new  land,  shows  its  vast  resources, 
and  treats  its  hi-tory  with  all  the  accuracy  that  could  la?  acquired  by  diligent  research 
and  careful  observation,  during  a  three  y  •  ir-'  residence.1' — Boston  Gazette. 

'•  It  contains  notices  of  the  early  history  of  the  country,  of  its  geographical  features,  its 
agricultural  advantages,  its  manufactures,  commerce.'facilities  lor  travelling,  tbe  charac- 
ter of  its  inhabitants — everything,  indeed,  to  illustrate  its  resources  and -its  prospects." 

■Puritan  Recorder. 

"  We  have  seen  no  work  respecting  tho  northwest  of  equal  value  to  this." — Christian 
Intelligencer. 


A 


THE  YEMASSEE. 
A    Romance  of  South  Carolina.     By  William  Gilmork  Simms 
Author  of    "  The    Partisan,"   »«  Guy  Rivers,"   &c,    &c.     New 
and  Revised   Edition.      With   Illustrations   by  Darley.      I2mu 
Cloth.     $1  25. 

"  A  picture  of  the  early  border  life  of  the  Haguenot  settlers  in  South  Carolina.  I-iko 
Scott's  novels,  it  is  a  mixture  of  history  and  romance.  "—Hartford  Christian  Secretary. 

"It  is  written  in  an  uncommonly  glowing  style,  and  hits  off  the  Indian  character  with 
uncommon  grace  and  power  " — Albany  Argus. 

"The  whole  work  is  truly  American,  much  of  the  material  being  of  that  character 
Which  can  be  furnished  by  no  other  couutry. "—Daily  Times. 

"The  delineations  of  the  red  men  of  the  south  are  admirably  sketched  while  the  his- 
torical events  upon  which  the  work  is  founded  are  vouched  for  by  the  author  as  strictly 
true."— Ntw  Bedford  Mercury 


redfikld's  new  and  popular  publications 

ART  AND  INDUSTRY, 

As  Represented  in  the  Exhibition  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  New  York. 
Showing  the  Progress  and  State  of  the  Various  Useful  and  Es- 
thetic Pursuits.  From  the  New  York  Tribune.  Revised  and 
Edited  by  Horace  Greeley.  12mo.,  Cloth.  Fine  Paper, 
$1  00.     Paper  Covers,  50  Cents. 

"  The  articles  comprised  in  this  work  are  thirty-six  in  number,  on  various  subjects  ; 
they  are  elaborately  and  vigorously  written,  and  contain  much  desirable  information." 
— Savannah  Republican. 

'•  It  will  be  read  extensively  and  with  interest  by  all  who  are  engaged  in  any  depart 
ment  of  the  useful  or  graceful  arts."— Lowell  Journal  and  Courier. 

"  Everybody  interested  in  the  state  of  American  art  or  industry  should  have  a  copy." 

Register,  Phila. 

"  Evidently  written  with  a  great  deal  of  care,  and  presents  in  a  small  compass  a  very 
large  amount  of  information,  in  relation  to  the  latest  improvements  in  science  and  art." 
— Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 

"  In  each  department  of  industry  there  is  a  rapid  view  of  the  history  of  the  art  or 
arts  involved  in  its  production,  so  that  the  work  is  much  more  than  a  mere  descriptive 
account  of  the  contents  of  the  Crystal  Palace.  It  deserves  to  be  studied  for  the  informa- 
tion it  contains,  and  to  be  preserved  as  a  book  of  reference." — Puritan  Recorder,  Boston. 

"  Especially  to  the  mechanic  and  the  manufacturer,  this  book  will  prove  highly  ac- 
ceptable."— Christian  Secretary,  Hartford. 


A  MONTH  IN  ENGLAND. 

By  Henry  T.  Tuckerman.     Author  of  "  Sicily,-  a  Pilgrimage," 
"The  Optimist,"  &c.     12mo.,  Cloth.     75  Cents. 

*  Commend  us  to  this,  for  the  pleasnntest  book  on  England  we  ever  read,  always  ex- 
cepting Macaulay's  history."— Springfield  Evening  Post. 

"His  sketches  are  complete  pictures  of  the  hi-tory  and  life  of  English  literature  ;  con- 
densed yet  full,  chaste  yet  glowing  with  beauty." — N.  Y.  Independent. 

"  This  is  really  a  delightful  book.  The  author  is  well  known  as  an  original  and  vigor- 
ous writer  and  keen  observer." — Christian  Freeman. 

"  A  lively,  racy  volume  of  travels,  in  which  the  author  gives  us  his  impressions  of  the 
castles,  books,  artists,  authors,  and  other  et  cetera  which  came  in  his  way." — Zion's 
Herald. 

"  Mr.  Tuckerman  is  one  of  the  purest  and  most  elegant  writers  that  adorn  American 
literature." — Knickerbocker,  Albany. 


** 


VASCONSELOS. 
A  Romance  of  the  New  World.     By  Frank  Cooper.     12mo., 

Cloth.     $1  25. 

"The  scenes  are  laid  in  Spain  and  the  New  World,  and  the  skill  with  which  the  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  chivalry  are  presented,  make  Vasconselos  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting works  of  American  fiction." — N.  ¥.  Evening  Post. 

"  It  is  well  written,  full  of  spirit,  interesting  historical  lacts,  beautiful  local  descrip- 
tions, and  well-sustained  characters.  Cuban  associations  abound  in  it,  and  there  is  a  fine 
southern  glow  over  the  whole." — Boston  Transcript. 

"  It  is  freely  written,  full  of  sparkle  find  freshness,  and  must  interest  any  one  whose 
appreciation  is  at  all  vigorous."     Buffalo  Express, 

'•The  story  is  an  interesting  one,  while  the  style  is  most  refreshingly  good  for  these 
days  of  easy  writing.'' — Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 

"  This  is  an  American  romance,  and  to  such  as  are  fond  of  this  order  of  literature,  it 
will  be  found  intensely  interesting."— Hartford  Christian  Secretary. 


redfield's  new  and  popular  publications. 

A  STRAY  YANKEE  IN  TEXAS. 

A  Stray  Yankee  in  Texas.     By  Philip  Paxton.     With  Iliustra* 
tions  by  Darley.     Second  Edition,  12mo.,  cloth.     $1  25. 

"  The  work  is  a  chef  d'ceuvre  in  a  style  of  literature  in  which  our  country  has  nc 
rival,  and  we  commend  it  to  all  who  are  afflicted  with  the  blues  or  ennui,  as  an  effec- 
tual means  of  tickling  their  diaphragms,  and  giving  their  cheeks  a  holyday." — Boston 
Yankee  Blade. 

"  We  find,  on  a  perusal  of  it,  that  Mr.  Paxton  has  not  only  produced  a  readable,  but 
a  valuable  book,  as  regards  reliable  information  on  Texan  affairs. — Hartford  Christian 
Secretary. 

"  The  book  is  strange,  wild,  humorous,  and  yet  truthful.  It  will  be  found  admirably 
descriptive  of  a  state  of  society  which  is  fast  losing  its  distinctive  peculiarities  in  the 
rapid  increase  of  population." — Arthur's  Home  Gazette, 

"  One  of  the  richest,  most  entertaining,  and,  at  the  same  time,  instructive  works  one 
could  well  desire."—  Syracuse  Daily  Journal. 

"  The  book  is  a  perfect  picture  of  western  manners  and  Texan  adventures,  and  will 
occasion  many  a  hearty  laugh  in  the  reader." — Albany  Daily  State  Register. 


* 


NICK  OF  THE  WOODS. 

Nick  of  the  Woods,  or  the  Jibbenainosay  ;  a  Tale  of  Kentucky.  By 
Robert  M.  Bird,  M.  D.,  Author  of  "Calavar,"  "The  Infidel," 
&c.  New  and  Revised  Edition,  with  Illustrations  by  Darley.  ] 
volume,  12mo.,  cloth,  $1  25. 

**  One  of  those  singular  tales  which  Impress  themselves  in  ineradicable  character* 
upon  the  memory  of  every  imaginative  reader." — Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 

"Notwithstanding  it  takes  the  form  of  a  novel,  it  is  understood  to  be  substantial  truth 
in  the  dress  of  fiction  ;  and  nothing  is  related  but  which  has  its  prototype  in  actual 
reality." — Albany  Argus. 

•'  It  is  a  tal"  of  frontier  life  and  Indian  warfare,  written  by  a  masterly  pen,  with  it* 
scenes  so  graphically  depicted  that  they  amount  to  a  well-executed  painting,  at  once 
striking  and  thrilling."— Buffalo  Express. 


f 


WHITE,  RED,  AND  BLACK. 

Sketches  of  American  Society,  during  the  Visits  of  their  Guests,  by 
Francis  and  Theresa  Pulszky.      Two  vols.,  12mo.,  cloth,  $2. 

•'  Mr.  Pulszky  and  his  accomplished  wife  have  produced  an  eminently  candid  and 
judicious  book,  which  will  be  read  with  pleasure  and  profit  ou  both  sides  of  the  Atlan- 
tic."— Nt  w  York  Daily  Times. 

"  The  authors  have  here  furnished  a  narrative  of  decided  interest  and  value.  They 
have  given  us  a  view  of  the  Hungarian  war,  a  description  of  the  Hungarian  passage  tc 
this  country,  and  a  sketch  of  Hungarian  travels  over  the  country." — Philad.  Christian 
Chronicle. 

"Of  all  the  recent  books  on  America  by  foreign  travellers,  this  is  at  once  the  most 
fair  and  the  most  correct."—  Philad.  Saturday  Gazette. 

"Unlike  most  foreign  tourists  in  the  United  States,  they  speak  of  our  institutions, 
manners,  customs,  &c,  with  marked  candor,  and  at  the  same  time  evince,  a  pretty  thor 
ou?h  knowledge  of  our  history." — Hartford  Christian' Secretary. 

"This  is  a  valuable  book,  when  we  consider  the  amount  and  variety  of  the  informa 
tlon  it  contains,  and  when  we  estimate  the  accuracy  with  which  the  farts  aro  detailed. 
—  Worcester  Spy 


redfield's  new  and  popular  publications. 

DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

Of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  With  the  Original  Narratives  of  Mar- 
quette, Allouez,  Membre,  Hennepin,  and  Anastase  Douay.  By 
John  Gilmary  Shea.  With  a  fac-simile  of  the  Original  Map 
of  Marquette.     1  vol.,  8vo, ;    Cloth.     Anticpae.     $2.00. 

"  A  volume  of  great  and  curious  interest  to  all  concerned  to  know  the  early  history 
if  this  great  Western  land." — Cincinnati  Christian  Herald. 

"  We  believe  that  this  is  altogether  the  most  thorough  work  that  has  appeared  on  the 
mbject  to  which  it  relates.  It  is  the  result  of  long-continued  and  diligent  reseaich,  and 
10  legitimate  source  of  information  has  been  left  unexplored.  The  work  combines  the 
nterest  of  romance  with  the  authenticity  of  history."' — Puritan  Recorder. 

"  Mr.  Shea  has  rendered  a  service  to  the  cause  of  historical  literature  worthy  of  aU 
praise  by  the  excellent  manner  in  which  he  has  prepared  this  important  publicatii.  <i  for 
the  press." — Boston  Traveller. 


*k 


NEWMAN'S  REGAL  ROME. 

An  Introduction  to  Roman  History.  By  Francis  W.  Newman, 
Professor  of  Latin  in  the  University  College,  London.  12mo, 
Cloth.     63  cents. 

"The  book,  though  small  in  compass,  is  evidently  the  work  of  great  research  and 
•eflection,  and  is  a  valuable  acquisition  to  historical  literature." — Courier  and  Enquirer. 

"  A  work  of  great  erudition  and  power,  vividly  reproducing  the  wonderful  era  of  Ro- 
nan  history  under  the  kings.  We  greet  it  as  a  work  J"  profound  scholarship,  genial 
irt,  and  eminent  interest— a  work  that  will  attract  the  scholar  and  please  the  general 
•eader." — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

"  Nearly  all  the  histories  in  the  schools  should  be  banished,  and  such  as  this  should 
Ake  their  places." — Boston  Journal. 

"  Professor  Newman's  work  will  be  found  full  of  interest,  from  the  light  it  throws  on 
he  formation  of  the  language,  the  races,  and  the  history,  of  ancient  Rome." — Wall- 
ttreet  Journal. 


ffal 


THE  CHEVALIERS  OF  FRANCE, 

From  the  Crusaders  to  the  Mareschals  of  Louis  XIV.  By  Henri 
W.  Herbert,  author  of  "The  Cavaliers  of  England,"  "  Crom 
well,"  "  The  Brothers,"  &c,  &c.     1  vol.  12mo.     $1.25. 

• '  Mr.  Herbert  is  one  of  the  best  writers  of  historical  tales  and  legends  in  this  or  an. 
ather  country." — Christian  Freeman. 

**  This  is  a  work  of  great  power  oi  thought  and  vividness  of  picturing.  Tt  is  a  movinj 
janorama  of  the  inner  life  of  the  French  empire  in  the  days  of  chivalry." — Albany  Spec 

"  The  series  of  works  by  this  author,  illustrative  of  the  romance  of  history,  is  deserv 
»dly  popular.  They  serve,  indeed,  to  impart  and  imprest  on  the  mind  a  great  deal  ol 
'aluable  information  ;  for  the  facts  of  history  are  impartially  exhibited,  and  the  fictiot 
>resents  a  vivid  picture  of  the  manners  and  sentiments  of  the  times." — Journal  of  Com 
\erce. 

"The  work  contains  four  historical  tales  or  novelettes,  marked  by  that  vigor  of  style 
nd  beauty  of  description  which  have  found  so  many  admirers  among  the  readers  of 
le  author's  numerous  romanaes." — Lowell  Journal. 


RED1TELD  S    NEW    AND    POPULAR    PUBLICATIONS. 


THE  MASTER  BUILDER: 

Or,  Life   at  a  Trade.      By  Day  Kellogg  Lee,  author  of  "  Sum 
merfield,  or  Life  on  the  Farm."     One  vol.,  12mo,  price  Si. 00. 

"He  is  a  powerful  and  graphic  writer,  and  from  what  we  have  6een  of  the  paires  o. 
the  '  Master  Builder,'  it  is  a  romance  of  excellent  aim  and  success." — State  Register. 

"  The  '  Master  Builder'  is  the  master  production.  It  is  romance  into  which  is  instilled 
the  reality  of  life:  and  incentives  are  put  forth  to  nohle exertion  and  virtue.  The  story 
is  pleasing — almost  fascinating  ;  the  moral  is  pure  and  undefiled." — Daily  Times. 

"Its  descriptions  are,  many  of  them,  strikingly  beautiful;  commingling  in  good  pro- 
portions, the  witty,  the  grotesque,  the  pathetic,  and  the  heroic.  It  may  be  read  with 
profit  as  well  as  pleasure." — Argus. 

"The  work  before  us  will  commend  itself  to  the  masses,  depicting  as  it  does  most 
graphically  the  struggles  and  privations  which  await  the  unknown  and  uncared-for 
Mechanic  in  his  journey  through  life.  It  is  what  might  be  called  a  romance,  but  not  of 
love,  jealousy  and  revenge  order." — Lockport  Courier. 

•'  The  whole  scheme  of  the  story  is  well  worked  up  and  very  instructive.'' — Albany 


GRISCOM  ON  VENTILATION. 

The  Uses  and  Abuses  of  Air:  showing  its  Influence  in  Sustaining 
Life,  and  Producing  Disease,  with  Remarks  on  the  Ventilation 
of  Houses,  and  the  best  Methods  of  Securing  a  Pure  and  Whole- 
some Atmosphere  inside  of  Dwellings,  Churches,  Workshops,  &c 
By  John  H.  Griscom,  M.  D.     One  vol.  12mo,  $1.00. 

"This  comprehensive  treatise  should  be  read  by  all  who  wish  to  secure  health, 
and  especially  by  those  constructing  churches,  lecture-rooms,  school-houses,  &c—  It 
is  undoubted,  that  many  diseases  are  created  and  spread  In  consequence  of  the  little 
attention  paid  to  proper  ventilation.  Dr.  G.  writes  knowingly  and  plainly  upon  this  all- 
important  topic." — Newark  Advertiser. 

"The  whole  book  is  a  complete  manual  of  the  subject  of  which  it  treats;  and  we 
venture  to  say  that  the  builder  or  contriver  of  a  dwelling,  school-house,  church,  thea- 
tre, ship,  or  steamboat,  who  neglects  to  inform  himself  of  the  momentous  truths  it 
asserts,  commits  virtually  a  crime  against  society." — N.  Y.  Metropolis. 

"  When  shall  we  learn  to  estimate  at  their  proper  value,  pure  water  and  pure  air, 
which  God  provided  for  man  before  he  made  man,  and  a  very  long  time  before  he 
permitted  the  existence  of  a  doctor  ?  We  commend  the  Uses  and  Abuses  of  Air  to  ouf 
readers,  assuring  them  that  they  will  find  it  to  contain  directions  for  the  ventilation  of 
dwellings,  which  every  one  who  values  health  and  comfort  should  put  in  practice." — 
N   Y  Dispatch. 


<M 


II AGAR,  A  STORY  OF  TO-DAY. 

By  Alice  Carey,   author  of  M  Clovernook,"  "  Lyra,   and  Other 
"Poems,"  &c.     One  vol.,  12mo,  price  $1.00. 

"A  story  of  rural  and  domestic  life,  abounding  in  humor,  pathos,  and  that  natural- 
ness in  character  and  conduct  which  made  '  Clovernook'  so  great  a  favorite  last  sea-son. 
Passages  in  'Hagar  ore  written  with  extraordinary  power,  its  moral  is  striking  and 
just,  and  the  book  will  inevitably  he  one  of  the  most  popular  productions  of  the  sea- 
son." 

"She  has  a  fine,  rich,  and  purely  original  genius.  Her  country  Btories  are  almost 
unequaled." — Knickerbocker  Magaiine. 

•The  Time-  speaks  of  Alice  Cany  as  standing  at  the  head  of  the  living  female  wri- 
ters ol  AmericA.  we  l'o  even  farther  in  our  favorable  judgment,  and  express  the  opin- 
ion that  among  those  living  or  dead,  she  has  had  no  equal  in  this  country  ;  and  we  know 
of  few  in  the  annals  of  English  literature  who  have  exhibited  superior  gifts  of  real  p\. 
etic  genius."—  Thi  (Portland,  Me.)  Eclectic. 


REDFIELDS    NEW    AND    POPULAR    PUBLICATIONS. 


POETICAL    WORKS  OF  FITZ-GREENE  HALLECK 

New  and  only  Complete  Edition,  containing  several  New  Poems, 
together  with  many  now  first  collected.  One  vol.,  12mo.,  price 
one  dollar. 

"Halleck  is  one  of  the  brightest  stars  in  our  American  literature,  and  his  name  is 
hke  a  household  word  wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken." — Albany  Express. 

"  There  are  few  poems  to  be  found,  in  any  language,  that  surpass,  in  beauty  ol 
tnought  and  structure,  some  of  these."— Boston  Commonwealth. 

"  To  the  numerous  admirers  of  Mr.  Halleck,  this  will  be  a  welcome  book  ;  for  it  is  a 
characteristic  desire  in  human  nature  to  have  the  productions  of  our  favorite  authors 
in  an  elegant  and  substantial  form." — Christian  Freeman. 

"  Mr.  Halleck  never  appeared  in  a  better  dress,  and  few  poets  ever  deserved  a  better 
one." — Christian  Intelligencer. 


THE  STUDY  OF  WORDS. 
By  Archdeacon  R.  C.  Trench.    One  vol.,  12mo.,  price  75  cts. 

"  He  discourses  in  a  truly  learned  and  lively  manner  upon  the  Original  unity  of  las 
guage,  and  the  origin,  derivation,  and  history  of  words,  with  their  morality  and  sep 
arate  spheres  of  meaning. ' — Evening  P^st 

"  This  is  a  noble  tribute  to  the  divin«  faculty  of  speech.  Popularly  written,  for  use 
as  lectures,  exact  in  its  learning,  and  poetic  in  its  vision,  it  is  a  book  at  once  for  the 
scholar  and  the  general  reader." — New  York  Evangelist. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  most  striking  and  original  publications  of  the  day,  with  nothing  of 
hardness,  dullness,  or  dryness  about  it,  but  altogether  fresh,  lively,  and  entertaining." 
— Boston  Evening  Traveller. 


m 


BRONCHITIS,  AND  KINDRED  DISEASES. 
In  language  adapted  to  common  readers.     By  "W.  W.  Hall,  M.  D 

One  vol.,  12  mo,  price  $1.00. 

"  It  is  written  in  a  plain,  direct,  common-sense  style,  and  is  free  from  the  quackery 
which  marks  many  of  the  popular  medical  books  of  the  day.  It  will  prove  useful  tc 
those  who  need  it" — Central  Ch.  Herald. 

"  Those  who  are  clergymen,  or  who  are  preparing  for  the  sacred  calling,  and  public 
Bpeakers  generally,  should  not  fail  of  securing  this  work." — Ch.  Ambassador. 

"  It  is  full  of  hints  on  the  nature  of  the  vital  organs,  and  does  away  with  much  super- 
■titious  dread  in  regard  to  consumption." — Greene  County  Whig. 

•'  This  work  gives  some  valuable  instruction  in  regard  to  food  and  hygienic  Infln- 
-  Nashua  Oasis. 


t* 


KNIGHTS  OF  ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SCOTLAND. 
By  Henry  William  Herbert.     One  vol.,  12mo.,  price  $1.25. 

"They  are  partly  the  romance  of  history  and  partly  fiction,  forming,  when  blended, 
portraitures,  valuable  from  the  correct  drawing  of  the  time-  they  illustrate,  and  interest 
ing  from  their  romance." — Albany  Knickerbocker. 

"They  are  spirit-stirring  productions,  which  will  be  read  and  admired  by  all  who 
are  pleased  with  historical  tales  written  in  a  vigorous,  bold,  and  dashing  style." — Boston 
Journal. 

"  These  legends  of  love  and  chivalry  contain  some  of  the  finest  tales  which  the 
p-aphic  and  powerful  pen  of  Herbert  has  yet  given  to  the  lighter  literature  of  the  dav  ' 
-Detroit  Free  Tress. 


REDFIELD  S  NEW  AND  FOPUL  LR    PUBLICATIONS. 


CLOVERNOOK; 

Or,  Recollections  of  our  Neighborhood   in  the  West.     By  Alick 
Caret.     Illustrated  by  Darley.     One  vol.,  12mo.,  price  $1 .00. 

(Fourth  edition.) 

"  In  this  volume  there  is  a  freshness  which  perpetually  charms  the  reader.  Y<ra  sw.ra 
to  be  made  free  of  western  homes  at  once." — Old  Colony  Memorial. 

"  They  bear  the  true  stamp  of  genius— simple,  natural,  truthful — and  evince  a  hf*m 
sense  of  the  humor  and  pathos,  of  the  comedy  and  tragedy,  of  life  in  the  country."-  J 
Q    Wkittier. 


M, 


DREAM-LAND  BY  DAY-LIGHT: 

A  Panorama  of  Romance.     By  Caroline  Chesebro'.     Illustrated 
by  Darley.     One  vol.,  12mo.,  price  $1.25.     (Second  edition.) 

"  These  simple  and  beautiful  stories  are  all  highly  endued  with  an  exquisite  percep- 
tion of  natural  beauty,  with  which  is  combined  an  appreciative  sense  of  its  relation  to 
the  highest  moral  emotions."— Albany  State  Register. 

"  Gladly  do  we  greet  this  floweret  in  the  field  of  our  literature,  for  it  is  fragrant  with 
sweet  and  bright  with  hues  that  mark  it  to  be  of  Heaven's  own  planting.'*—  Courier  and 
Enquirer. 

"There  is  a  depth  of  sentiment  and  feeling  not  ordinarily  met  with,  and  some  of  the 
noblest  faculties  and  affections  of  man's  nature  are  depicted  and  illustrated  by  the  ekll- 
ful  pen  of  the  authoress." — Churchman. 


? 


LAYS  OF  THE  SCOTTISH  CAVALIERS. 

By  William  E.  Aytoun,  Professor  of  Literature  ond  Belles-Let 
tres  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh  and  Editor  of  Blackwood's 
Magazine.     One  vol.,  12mo.  cloth,  price  Si. 00. 

"  Since  Lockhart  and  Macaulay's  ballads,  we  have  had  no  metrical  work  to  be  com- 
pared in  spirit,  vigor,  and  rhythm  with  this.  These  ballads  knbidy  and  embalm  the 
chief  historical  incidents  of  Scottish  history— literally  in  '  thoughts  that  breathe  and 
words  that  burn.'  They  are  full  of  lyric  energy,  graphic  description,  and  genuine  feel 
mg." — Home  Journal. 

"  The  fine  ballad  of '  Montrose'  in  this  collection  is  alone  worth  the  price  of  the  book.' 
Boston.  Transcript. 


o<^ 


THE  BOOK  OF  BALLADS. 
By  Bon  Gaultier.     One  volume,  12mo.,  cloth,  price  75  cent*. 

"Here  is  a  book  for  everybody  who  loves  classic  fun.  It  is  made  up  of  ballads  of 
II  sorts,  each  a  capital  parody  upon  the  style  of  some  one  of  the  best  lyric  writers  of 
Ihe  time,  from  the  thundering  versification  of  Lockhart  and  Macaulay  to  the  sweetest 
and  simplest  strains  of  Wordsworth  and  Tennyson.  The  author  is  one  of  the  first 
scholars,  and  one  of  the  most  finished  writers  of  the  day,  and  this  production  is  but  the 
frolic  of  his  genius  in  play-time" — Courier  and  Enquirer. 

"  We  do  not  know  to  .whom  belongs  this  nom  de  plume,  but  he  is  certainly  a  humorist 
of  no  coxnmen  power."— Providence  Journal. 


REDMKLD'S    NEW    AND    POPULAR    PUUL ICAT10N8. 

NAPOLEON  IN  EXILE  ; 

Or,  a  Voice  from  St.  Helena.  Being  the  opinions  and  inflections  of 
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ment, in  his  own  words.  By  Barry  E.  O'Meara,  his  late  Sur- 
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on  steel.     2  vols.  12mo,  cloth,  $2. 

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"  Every  one  who  desires  to  obtain  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  character  of  Napoleon, 
should  possess  himseif  of  this  book  of  O'Meara's." — Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 

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thirty  years  preceding  his  fall,  and  his  comments  throw  more  light  upon  history  than 
anything  we  have  read."— Albany  Express. 

"  The  two  volumes  before  us  are  worthy  supplements  to  any  history  of  France." 
/  $ton  Evening  Gazette 


f 


MEAGHER S  SPEECHES. 
Speeches  on  the  Legislative  Independence  of  Ireland,  with  Intro- 
ductory Notes.     By  Francis  Thomas  Meagher.     1  vol.  12mo, 
Cloth.     Portrait.     Si. 

11  The  volume  before  us  embodies  some  of  the  noblest  specimens  of  Irish  eloquence  ; 
not  florid,  bombastic,  nor  acrimonious,  but  direct,  manly,  and  convincing."— New  York 
Tribune. 

"  There  is  a  glowing,  a  burning  eloquence,  in  these  speeches,  which  prove  the  author 
a  man  of  extraordinary  intellect." — Boston  Olive  Branch. 

"  As  a  brilliant  and  effective  orator,  Meagher  stands  unrivalled." — Portland  Eclectic. 

"  All  desiring  to  obtain  a  good  idea  of  the  political  history  of  Ireland  and  the  move- 
ments of  her  people,  will  be  greatly  assisted  by  reading  these  speeches."— Syracusi 
Daily  Star. 

"It  is  copiously  illustrated  by  explanatory  notes,  so  that  the  reader  will  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  understanding  the  exact  state  of  affairs  when  each  speech  was  delivered."— 
Dus.on  Traveller. 


THE  PRETTY  PLATE, 

A  new  and  beautiful  juvenile.     By  John  Vincent.     Illustrated  by 
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"We  venture  to  say  that  no  reader,  great  or  small,  who  takes  up  this  book,  will  lay  it 
down  unfinished." — Courier  and  Enquirer. 

"  This  is  an  elegant  little  volume  for  a  juvenile  gift-book.  The  story  is  one  of  peculiai 
instruction  and  interest  to  the  young-,  and  is  illustrated  with  beautiful  engravings."— 
Boston  Christian  Freeman. 

"  One  of  the  very  best  told  and  sweetest  juvenile  stories  that  has  been  issued  from  the 
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"  It  is  a  pleasant  child's  book,  well  told,  handsomely  published,  and  illustrated  ii 
Darley's  best  etylu  '—Albany 


4 


REDFIELD  S    NEW    AND    POPULAR    PUBLICATIONS. 

jBA,  A  PILGRIMAGE. 
By  Caroline  Chesebro'.     One  vol.,  12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00. 

"  The  Pilgrimage  is  fraught  throughout  with  scenes  of  thrilling  interest — romantic, 
yet  possessing  a  naturalness  that  seems  to  stamp  them  as  real ;  the  style  is  flowing  and 
easy,  chaste  and  beautiful." — Troy  Daily  Times. 

"  Miss  Chesebro'  is  evidently  a  thinker — she  skims  not  the  mere  surface  of  life,  but 
plunges  boldly  into  the  hidden  mysteries  of  the  spirit  by  which  she  is  warranted  in 
making  her  startling  ievelations  of  human  passion." — Christian  Freeman. 

"  There  comes  out  in  this  book  the  evidence  of  an  inventive  mind,  a  cultivated  teste, 
an  exquisite  sensibility,  and  deep  knowledge  of  human  nature." — Albany  Argus.    - 

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"There  is  a  fine  vein  ot  tenderness  running  through*  the  story,  which  is  peculiarly 
one  of  passion  and  sentiment." — Arthur's  Home  Gazette. 


X 


LECTURES  AND  MISCELLANIES. 
By  Henry  James.     One  vol.,  12mo,  cloth,  price  $1.25. 

"A  series  of  essays  by  one  of  the  most  generous  thinkers  and  sincere  lovers -of  truth 
in  the  country.  He  looks  at  society  from  an  independent  point  of  view,  and  with  the 
noblest  and  most  intelligent  sympathy." — Home  Journal. 

"  This  is  the  production  of  a  mind  richly  endowed  of  a  very  peculiar  mould.  All  will 
concede  to  him  the  merit  of  a  vigorous  and  brilliant  intellect." — Albany  Argus. 

"  A  perusal  of  the  essays  leads  us  to  think,  not  merely  because  of  the  ideas  which  they 
contain,  but  more  because  the  ideas  are  earnestly  put  forth,  and  the  subjects  discussed 
are  interesting  and  important  to  every  one." —  Worcester  National  AEgis. 

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considered  as  holding  a  distinctive  and  prominent  position  in  the  school  of  modern 
philosophy." — Albany  Atlas. 

"The  writer  wields  a  masterly  and  accurate  pen,  and  his  style  is  good." — Boston 
Olive  Branch. 

"  It  will  have  many  readers,  and  almost  as  many  admirers." — N.  Y.  Times. 


? 


NAPIER S  PENINSULAR  WAR. 

History  of  the  War  in  the  Peninsula,  and  in  the  South  of  France, 
from  the  Year  1807  to  1814.  By  W.  F.  P.  Napier,  C.B.,  Col. 
43d  Reg.,  &c.     Complete  in  one  vol.,  8vo,  price  $3.00. 

"  We  believe  the  Literature  of  War  has  not  received  a  more  valuable  augmentation 
this  century  than  Colonel  Napier's  justly  celebrated  work.  Though  a  gallant  combatant 
in  the  field,  he  is  an  impartial  historian." — Tribune. 

"Napier's  History,  in  addition  to  its  superior  literary  merits  and  truthful  fidelity, 
presents  strong  claims  upon  the  attention  of  all  American  citizens  ;  because  the  author 
is  a  large-souled  philanthropist,  and  an  inflexible  enemy  to  ecclesiastical  tyranny  and 
secular  despots." — Post. 

"  The  excellence  of  Napier's  History  results  from  the  writer's  happy  talent  for  im- 
petuous, straight- forward,  soul-stirring  narrative,  and  picturing  forth  of  characters. 
The  military  manoeuvre,  march,  and  fiery  onset,  the  whole  whirlwind  vicissitudes  of  the 
desperate  fight,  ho  describes  with  dramatic  force." — Merchants'  Magazine. 


redfield's  new  and  popular  publications. 

THE  NIGHT-SIDE  OF  NATURE; 

Or,  Ghosts  and  Ghost-Seers.     By  Catherine  Crowe.     One  vol., 
12mo,  price  $1.25. 

"In  this  remarkable  work,  Miss  Crowe,  who  writes  with  the  vigor  and  grace  of  a 
woman  of  strong  sense;  and  nigh  cultivation,  collects  the  most  remarkable  and  best 
authenticated  accounts,  traditional  and  recorded,  of  preternatural  visitations  and  appear- 
ances."— Boston  Transcript. 

"An  almost  unlimited  fund  of  interesting  illustrations  and  anecdotes  touching  the 
spiritual  world."— New  Orleans  Bee. 


TALES  AND  TRADITIONS  OF  HUNGARY. 

By  Theresa  Pulszky,  with  a  Portrait  of  the  Author.     One  vol. 
price  $1.25. 

The  above  contains,  in  addition  to  the  English  publication,  a  new  Preface,  and 
Tales,  now  first  printed  from  the  manuscript  of  the  Author,  who  has  a  direct  interest 
in  the  publication. 

"  This  work  claims  more  attention  than  is  ordinarily  given  to  books  of  its  class.  Such 
is  the  tluoncy  and  correctness — nay,  even  the  nicety  and  felicity  of  style — with  which 
Madame  Pul-zky  writes  the  English  language,  that  merely  in  this  respect  the  tales  here 
collected  forma  curious  study.  But  they  contain  also  highly  suggestive  illustrations  of 
national  literature  and  character." — London  Examiner. 

"Freshness  of  subject  is  invaluable  in  literature — Hungary  is  still  fresh  ground.  It 
has  be»>n  trodden,  but  it  is  not  yet  a  common  highway.  The  talcs  and  legends  are  very 
various,  from  the  mere  traditional  anecdote  to  the  regular  legend,  and  they  have  the  sort 
of  interest  which  all  national  traditions  excite." — London  Leader. 


# 


CHAPMAN S  AMERICAN  DRAWING-BOOK. 

The  American  Drawing-Book,  intended  for  Schools,  Academies, 
and  Self-Instruction.  By  John  G.  Chapman,  N.  A.  Three 
Parts  now  published,  price  50  cents  each. 

This  Work  will  be  issued  in  Parts  ;  and  will  contain  Primary  Instruction  and  Rudi- 
ments of  Drawing:  Drawing  from  Nature — Materials  and  Methods:  Perspective- 
Composition — Landscape — Figures,  etc. :  Drawing,  as  applicable  to  the  Mechanic  Arts : 
Painting  in  Oil  and  Water  Colors:  The  Principles  of  Light  and  Shade:  External  Anato- 
my of  the  Human  Form,  and  Comparative  Anatomy  :  The  Various  Methods  of  Etching, 
Engraving,  Modelling,  &c. 

"  It  has  received  the  sanction' of  many  of  our  most  eminent  artists,  and  can  scarcely 
be  commended  too  highly." — N.  Y.  Tribune. 

"But  so  clearly  are" its  principles  developed  in  the  beautif.  1  letter-press,  and  so  ex- 
quisitely are  they  illustrated  by  the  engravings,  that  the  pupil's  way  is  opened  most  in- 
vitingly to  a  thorough  knowledge  of  both  the  elements  and  application." — Home  Journal. 

"The  engravings"  are  superb,  and  the  typography  unsurpassed  by  any  book  with 
which  we  are  acqiiainted. .  It  is  an  honor  to  the  author  and  publisher,  and  a  credit  to 
our  common  country." — Scientific  American. 

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with  it  in  mechanical  and  artistic  execution." — Knickerbocker  Magazine. 


REDFIELDS    NEW    AND    POPULAR    PUBLICATIONS. 


MEN  OF  THE  TIME  ; 

Or,  Sketches  of  Living  Notables,  Authors,  Architects,  Artists,  Com- 
posers, Demagogues,  Divines,  Dramatists,  Engineers,  Journalists, 
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graphical Sketches;  price  $1.50. 

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which  we  can  not  well  do  without ;  we  commend  it  to  the  attention  of  our  '  reading 
public' " — Tribune. 

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a(^ 


By 


LILLIAN,  AND  OTHER  POEMS. 

Winthrop  Mackworth  Praed.     Now  first  collected.     One 
volume,  12mo;  price  $1. 

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a  book)  can  scarcely  be  found  for  the  summer  holydays." — New  York  Tribune. 

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for  which  it  would  be  hard  to  find  equals.  We  welcome,  therefore,  this  first  collected 
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"  As  a  writer  of  vers  de  societe  he  is  pronounced  to  be  without  an  equal  among  Eng- 
lish authors." — Syracuse.  Daily  Journal. 

"  Praed  was  one  of  the  most  fluent  and  versatile  English  poets  that  have  shone  in  the 
literary  world  within  the  last  century.  His  versification  is  astonishingly  easy  and  airy, 
and  his  imagery  not  less  wouderfully  graceful  and  aerial." — Albany  State  Register. 


x?m 


THE  CAVALIERS  OF  ENGLAND; 

Or,  the  Times  of  the  Revolution  of  1642  and  1688.     By  Henry 
William  Herbert.     One  vol.,  12mo;  price  $1,25. 

"  They  are  graphic  stories,  and  in  the  highest  degree  attractive  to  the  imagination  as 
well  as  instructive,  and  can  not  fail  to  be  popular." — Commercial. 

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thrilling  idea  of  the  customs  and  influences  of  the  chivalrous  age." — Christian  Freeman. 

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common order ;  the  romance  of  history  loses  nothing  at  his  hands  ;  he  paints  with  thu 
power,  vigor,  and  effect  of  a  master.'' — The  Times. 

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mind  with  indelible  force,  the  living  images  of  the  puritans  as  well  as  the  cavaliers,  whose 
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In  which  they  lived  and  fought,  loved  and  hated,  prayed  and  revelled."— Newark  Daily. 


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CHARACTERS  IN  THE  GOSPEL. 

Illustrating  Phases  of  Character  at  the  Present  Day.     By  Rev.  E. 
H.  Chapin.     One  vol.,  12mo,  price  50  cents.     (Second  Edition.) 

"A8  we  read  his  pages,  the  reformer,  the  sensualist,  the  skeptic,  the  man  of  the 
world,  the  seeker,  the  sister  of  charity  anrl  of  faith,  stand  out  from  the  Scriptures,  and 
join  themselves  with  our  own  living  world." — Christian  Enquirer. 

'•  Mr.  Chapin  has  an  easy,  graceful  style,  neatly  touching  the  outlines  of  his  pictures, 
and  giving  great  consistency  and  beauty  to  the  whole.  The  reader  will  find  admirable 
descriptions,  some  most  wholesome  lessons,  and  a  fine  spirit." — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

"  Its  brilliant  vivacity  of  style  forms  an  udmirable  combination  with  its  soundness  of 
thought  and  depth  of  feeling." — Tribune. 


*■ 


LADIES  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Memoirs  of  Distinguished  Scottish  Females,  embracing  the  Period 
of  the  Covenant  and  the  Persecution.  By  Rey,  James  Ander- 
son.    One  vol.,  12mo,  price  $1.25. 

"It  is  a  record  which,  while  it  confers  honor  on  the  eex,  will  elevate  the  heart,  and 
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every  element  of  historical  interest." — Courier  and  Enquirer. 

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more  than  a  romantic  interest,  while  the  type  of  piety  it  discloses  is  the  noblest  and 
most  elevated," — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

% 

THE  WORKS  OF  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE, 

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edited  by  Rufus  W  Griswold.     12mo,  price  $4.00. 

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with." — N.  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

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SORCERY  AND  MAGIC. 

Narratives  of  Sorcery  and  Magic,  from  the  most  Authentic  Sources. 
By  Thomas  Wright,  A.M.,  &c.     One  vol.,  12mo,  price  $1.25. 

"We  have  no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  this  one  of  the  most  interesting  works  which 
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ten by  a  man  whose  object  is  simply  to  tell  the  truth,  and  who  is  not  himself  bewitched 
by  any  favorite  theory." — N.  Y.  Recorder. 


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Life  under  an  Italian  Despotism  ! 

LORENZO   BENONI, 

OR 

PASSAGES  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  AN  ITALIAN 

One  Vol.,  \2mo%  Cloth — Price  31.00. 

OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

••  The  author  of  'Lorenzo  Benoni'  is  Giovanni  Rcffini,  a  native  of  Genoa,  who  effected 
his  escape  from  his  native  country  after  the  attempt  at  revolution  in  1833.  His  hook  is, 
In  substance,  an  authentic  account  of  real  persons  and  incidents,  though  the  writer  has 
chosen  to  adopt  fictitious  and  fantastic  designations  for  himself  and  his  associates.  Since 
1833,  Ruffini  has  resided  chiefly  (if  not  wholly)  in  England  and  France,  where  his  quali- 
ties, we  understand,  have  secured  him  respect  and  regard.  In  1848,  he  was  selected  by 
Charles  Albert  to  fill  the  responsible  situation  of  embassador  to  Paris,  in  which  citv  he 
had  Ions  been  domesticated  as  a  refugee.  He  ere  long,  however,  relinquished  that  office, 
and  again  withdrew  into  private  life.  He.  appears  to  have  employed  the  time  of  his  exile 
In  this  country  to  such  advantage  as  to  have  acquired  a  most  uncommon  mastery  over 
the  English  language.  The  present  volume  (we  are  informed  on  good  authority)  is  ex- 
clusively his  own — and,  if  so,  on  the  score  of  style  alone  it  is  a  remarkable  curiosity. 
But  its  matter  also  is  curious." — London  Quarterly  Review  for  July. 

"  A  tale  of  sorrow  that  has  lain  long  in  a  rich  mind,  like  a  ruin  in  a  fertile  country,  and 
is  not  the  less  gravely  impressive  for  the  grace  and  beauty  of  its  coverings  ...  at  the 
same  time  the  most  determined  novel-reader  could  desire  no  work  more  fascinating  over 
which  to  forget  the  flight  of  time.  ...  No  sketch  of  foreign  oppression  has  ever,  we  be- 
lieve, been  submitted  to  the  English  public  by  a  foreigner,  equal  or  nearly  equal  to  this 
volume  in  literary  merit  It  is  not  unworthy  to  be  ranked  among  contemporary  works 
whose  season  is  the  century  in  which  their  authors  live." — London  Examiner. 

"The  book  should  be  as  extensiveiy  read  as  'Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,' inasmuch  as  it 
develops  the  existence  of  a  state  of  slavery  and  degradation,  worse  even  than  that  winch 
Mrs.  Beecher  Stowe  has  elucidated  with  so  much  pathos  and  feeling." — Bell's  Weekly 
Messenger. 

"  Few  works  of  the  season  will  be  read  with  greater  pleasure  than  this  ;  there  is  a 
great  charm  in  the  quiet,  natural  way  in  which  the  story  is  told." — London  Atlas. 

"The  author's  great  forte  is  character-painting.  This  portraiture  is  accomplished 
with  remarkable  skill,  the  traits  both  individual  and  national  being  marked  with  great 
nicety  without  obtrusiveness." — London  Spectator. 

"  Under  the  modest  guise  of  the  biography  of  an  imaginary  '  Lorenzo  Benoni,'  we  have 
here,  in  fact,  the  memoir  of  a  man  whose  name  could  hot  be  pronounced  in  certain  part9 
of  northern  Italy  without  calling  up  tragic  yet  noble  historical  recollections.  ...  Its 
merits,  simply  as  a  work  of  literary  art,  are  of  a  very  bigfe  order.  The  style  is  really 
beautiful — easy,  sprightly,  irraceful,  and  full  of  the  happiest  and  most  ingenious  turns  of 
phrase  "and  fancy." — North  British  Review. 

"  This  has  been  not  unjustly  compared  to  '  Oil  Bias,'  to  which  it  is  scarcely  inferior  in 
spirited  delineations  of  human  character,  and  in  the  variety  of  events  which  it  relates. 
But  as  a  description  of  actual  occurrences  illustrating  the  domestic  and  political  condi- 
tion of  Italy,  at  a  period  fraught  with  interest  to  all  classes  of  readers,  it  far  transcends 
in  importance  any  work  of  more  fiction." — Dublin  Evening  Mail. 


redfif.ld's  new  and  popular  publications. 
SIMMS'  REVOLUTIONARY  TALES. 

UNIFORM      SERIES. 

New  and  entirely  Revised  Edition  of  William  Gilmore  Simms' 
Romances  of  the  Revolution,  with  Illustrations  by  Darley. 
Each  complete  in  one  vol.,  12mo,  cloth  ;  price  $1.25. 

I.  THE  PARTISAN.  III.  KATHARINE  WALTON.  (In  press.) 

II.  MELLICHAMPE.  IV.  THE  SCOUT.  (In  press.) 

V.  WOODCRAFT-  (In  press.) 

"  The  field  of  Revolutionary  Romance  was  a  rich  one,  and  Mr.  Simms  has  worked  it 
admirably  " — Louisville  Journal. 

"  But  few  novelists  of  the  age  evince  more  power  in  the  conception  of  a  story,  more 
artistic  skill  in  its  management,  or  more  naturalness  in  the  final  denouement  than  Mr. 
Simms." — Mobile  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  Not  only  par  excellence  the  literary  man  of  the  South,  but  next  to  no  romance  writer 
in  America." — Albany  Knickerbocker. 

"Simms  is  a  popular  writer,  and  his  romances  are  highly  creditable  to  American 
literature." — Boston  Olive  Branch. 

"These  books  are  replete  with  daring  and  thrilling  adventures,  principally  drawn 
from  history." — Boston  Christian  Freeman. 

"  We  take  pleasure  in  noticing  another  of  the  series  which  Redfield  is  presenting  to 
the  country  of  the  brilliant  productions  of  one  of  the  very  ablest  of  our  American 
authors — of  one  indeed  who,  in  his  peculiar  sphere,  is  inimitable.  This  volume  is  a 
continuation  of 'The  Partisan.'  "—Philadelphia  American  Courier. 

ALSO     UNIFORM     WITH     THE     ABOVE 

THE   YEMASSEE, 

A  Romance  of  South  Carolina.  By  Wm.  Gilmore  Simms.  New 
and  entirely  Revised  Edition,  with  Illustrations  by  Darley.  12mo, 
cloth;  price  $1.25. 

"  In  interest,  it  is  second  to  but  few  romances  in  the  language ;  in  power,  it  holds  a 
hi»h  rank ;  in  healthfulness  of  style,  it  furnishes  an  example  worthy  of  emulation."— 
Greene  County  Whig. 


*, 


SIMMS'  POETICAL  WORKS. 

Poems:-  Descriptive,  Dramatic,  Legendary,  and  Contemplative. 
By  Wm.  Gilmore  Simms.  With  a  portrait  on  steel.  2  vols., 
12mo,  cloth ;  price  $2.50. 

Contents  :  Norman  Maurice ;  a  Tragedy. — Atalantis  ;  a  Tale  of  the  Sea. — Tales  and 
Traditions  of  the  South.— The  City  of  the  Silent— Southern  Passages  and  Pictures.— 
Historical  and  Dramatic  Sketches.— Scripture  Legends.— Francesca  da  Rimini,  etc. 

*'  We  are  glad  to  see  the  poems  of  our  best  Southern  author  collected  in  two  hand- 
some volumes.  Here  we  have  embalmed  in  graphic  and  melodious  verse  the  scenic 
wonders  and  charms  of  the  South ;  and  this  feature  of  the  work  alone  gives  it  a  per- 
manent and  special  value.  None  can  read  'Southern  Passages  and  Pictures'  without 
feeling  that  therein  the  poetic  aspects,  association,  and  senti-nent  of  Southern  life  and 
scenery  are  vitally  enshrined.  'Norman  Maurice'  is  a  dramatic  poem  of  peculiar  scope 
and  unusual  interest;  and  'Atalantis,'  a  poem  upon  which  some  of  the  author's  finest 
powers  of  thought  and  expression  are  richly  lavished.  None  of  our  poets  ofter  so  great 
a  variety  of  style  or  a  more  original  choice  of  subjects."— Boston  Traveller. 

"  His  versification  is  fluent  and  mellifluous,  yet  not  lacking  in  point  of  vigor  when  an 
energetic  style  is  requisite  to  the  subject,"— N.  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"Mr.  Simms  ranks  among  the  first  poets  of  our  country,  and  these  well-printed 
volumes  contain  poetical  productions  of  rare  merit." — Washington  (D.  C.)  Star. 


redfield's  new  and   popular  publications. 
11  SHAKESPEARE  AS  HE  WROTE  IT." 

THE  WORKS  OF  SHAKESPEARE, 

Reprinted  from  the  newly-discovered  copy  of  the  Folio  of  1632 
in  the  possession  of  J.  Payne  Collier,  containing  nearly 

Twenty  Thousand  Manuscript  Corrections, 

With  a  History  of  the  Stage  to  the   Time,  an  Introduction  ta 
each  Play,  a  Life  of  the  Poet,  etc. 

By  J.  PAYNE  COLLIER,  F.S.A. 

To  which  are  added,  Glossarial  and  other  Notes,  the  Readings  of  Former 
Editions,  a  Portrait  after  that  by  Martin  Droeshout,  a  Vignette  Titlk 
on  Steel,  and  a  Facsimile  of  the  Old  Folio,  with  the  Manuscript  Cor- 
rections.    1  vol,  Imperial  8vo.    Cloth  $4  00. 

The  WORKS  OF  SHAKESPEARE  the  same  as  the  above 
Uniform  in  Size  with  the  celebrated  Chiswick  Edition,  8  vols. 
16mo,  cloth  $6  00.     Half  calf  or  moroc.  extra 

These  are  American  Copyright  Editions,  the  Notes  being  expressly  prepared 
for  the  work.  The  English  edition  contains  simply  the  text,  without  a  single 
note  or  indication  of  the  changes  made  in  the  text.  In  the  present,  the  vari- 
ations from  old  copies  are  noted  by  reference  of  all  changes  to  former  editions 
(abbreviated  f.  e.),  and  every  indication  and  explanation  is  given  essential  to  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  author.  The  prefatory  matter,  Life,  &c,  will  be  fuller 
than  in  any  American  edition  now  published. 

"This  is  the  only  correct  edition  of  the  works  of  the  'Bard  of  Avon'  ever  issued, 
and  no  lover  or  student  of  Shakespeare  should  be  without  it." — Philadelphia  Argus. 

"  Altogether  the  most  correct  and  therefore  the  most  valuable  edition  extant." — Alba- 
ny Express. 

"  This  edition  of  Shakespeare  will  ultimately  supersede  all  others.  It  must  certainly 
be  deemed  an  essential  acquisition  by  every  lover  of  the  great  dramatist."— A'.  Y.  Com- 
mercial Advertiser. 

"This  great  work  commends  itself  in  the  highest  terms  to  every  Shakespearian  schol- 
ar and  student." — Philadelphia  City  Item. 

"  This  edition  embraces  all  that  is  necessary  to  make  a  copy  of  Shakespeare  desirable 
and  correct." — Niagara  Democrat. 

"  It  must  sooner  or  later  drive  all  others  from  the  market." — N.  Y.  Evening  Post. 

"  Beyond  all  question,  the  very  best  edition  of  the  great  bard  hitherto  published."— 
New  England  Religious  Herald. 

"  It  must  hereafter  be  the  standard  edition  of  Shakespeare's  plays." — National  Argnt. 

"  IT  is  clear  from  internal  evidence  that  they  are  genuine  restorations  of  the  origi 
nal  plays." — Detroit  Daily  Times. 

"This  mu*t  wo  think  supersede  all  other  editions  of  Shakespeare  hitherto  published. 
Collier's  corrections  make  it  really  a  different  work  from  its  predecessors.  Compared 
with  it  we  consider  them  hardly  worth  possessing." — Daily  Georgian,  Savan7iak. 

"  One  who  will  probably  hereafter  be  considered  as  the  only  true  authority.  No  ono 
we  think,  will  wish  to  -^jrchase  an  edition  of  Shakesppare,  except  it  shall  be  conform- 
able to  the  amended  text  oy  Collier." — Newark  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  A  great  outcry  has  been  made  in  England  against  this  edition  of  the  bard,  by  Sin 
ger  and  others  interested  in  other  editions  ;  but  the  emendations  commend  themselves 
too  strongly  to  the  good  sense  of  every  reader  to  be  dropped  by  the  public — the  old 
editions  must  become  obsolete." — Yankee  Blade,  Boston. 


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